For nearly a century, the World’s Wonder View Tower in the town of Genoa has greeted travelers crossing through the Eastern Plains of Colorado. And for much of that time, the landmark was a thriving hub, one of those pieces of roadside Americana that people sought out — or simply happened upon — as they drove through big open spaces.
The tower, built in 1926, accompanied a gas station and cafe where passersby could refuel and take in the views. And what a view it was. In the 1930s, the Wonder View was reportedly the highest point between New York City and the Rocky Mountains. One of its selling points was an observation deck from which you could see six states, including Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico and, of course, Colorado.
In the late 1960s, a man named Jerry Chubbuck bought the tower and filled it with his collections of oddities, including arrowheads, pictographs, old tools and fossils. But it closed in 2013 after Chubbuck died.
On June 5, however, fans and history buffs will get an opportunity to tour the landmark, which is about 100 miles southeast of Denver off of Interstate 70, during a fundraiser that also includes pie eating and a pie plate auction.
The goal of the event, deemed the Pie Social, is to renew awareness about a restoration project underway at the tower and raise money for its completion, said Patty Calhoun, editor of Denver alt-weekly Westword. In 2016, she and several other Coloradans banded together to purchase the funky spot in hopes of saving it and, eventually, reopening it to the public. The following year, they successfully applied to have tower included on the list of Colorado’s most endangered places.
“Colorado has so many wonderful, natural, magnificent views, but the tower’s one of those crazy, man-made, magnificent obsessions and there are only handful of them,” Calhoun said. “When we heard it was up for sale… we just had to make sure it’s saved for the future.”
A historic structure assessment estimated the property would require $1.5 million to restore, Calhoun said. That would cover improving basic infrastructure and adding utilities such as water and sewage that do not currently exist there. However, that price doesn’t include the addition of amenities — like glamping spots or tiny houses for lodging and an onsite restaurant — that could once again turn the tower a road trip destination, she said. Additional plans include creating a museum and hosting live entertainment.
Friends of the Genoa Tower, a nonprofit that now owns and manages the site, secured a $1.5 million grant from the Colorado Community Revitalization Grant fund, which will be used to install electric vehicle charging stations in the spirit of the property’s former life as a gas station, said Calhoun, who serves on the organization’s board. The nonprofit is required to match that grant, she added, so the magic number to bring the historic attraction into the 21st century is currently $3 million.
Provided by Friends of the Genoa Tower
Examples of pie plates for auction at the Pie Social on June 5, a fundraising event at the World's Wonder View Tower in Genoa, Colo. which will help restore the historic property.
Provided by Friends of the Genoa Tower
Examples of pie plates for auction at the Pie Social on June 5, a fundraising event at the World's Wonder View Tower in Genoa, Colo. which will help restore the historic property.
Provided by Friends of the Genoa Tower
Examples of pie plates for auction at the Pie Social on June 5, a fundraising event at the World's Wonder View Tower in Genoa, Colo. which will help restore the historic property. (Provided by Friends of the Genoa Tower)
The Pie Social should help incrementally. To attend, organizers are asking for a suggested donation of $5 per adult or $10 per family. Slices of pie will be sold for $4 each, plus $5 to add ice cream. More than two dozen artists have created custom pie plates that will also be auctioned during the event, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5.
Friends of the Genoa Tower is currently collecting bids for construction projects, but due to the unpredictability of construction timelines and supply chain issues, there’s no official target open date, Calhoun said. She and her partners hope to be able to open part of the attraction by mid-2023.
“But because it’s been there 100 years, we have time to get set up for another 100 years,” Calhoun said.
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