Cold War Monument or Colossal Eyesore?

The fate of a run-down, Cold War-era early warning radar tower rests in the balance. Perched prominently atop Mount Umunhum, overlooking San Jose, Calif., sits the concrete structure, which was a part of Almaden Air Force Station until its closure in 1980. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the Midpeninsula Open Space District, a government agency in Los Altos, Calif., is currently developing the site as a recreation area, opening the debate as to whether the tower should remain as a tribute to Cold War history, or be cleared away. A public workshop is scheduled for Thursday in Los Gatos to give members of local communities a chance to weigh in on the issue. The radar site became operational in 1957, as part of the NORAD’s San Francisco Air Defense Sector.