Group works to rebuild Temple Terrace's iconic bat tower

Build it and they will come - bats, tourists and dollars.

That's the belief of a group of Temple Terrace residents spearheading an effort to recreate the city's iconic 40-foot-tall bat tower that once stood as a silent sentinel on the banks of the Hillsborough River.

Intended as a roost for bats, widely known for their propensity to feast on mosquitoes, the landmark was built in 1924 from plans designed by Charles Campbell, a bat-studies pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

The structure was destroyed by arsonists in 1979.

About three years ago, architect and Temple Terrace resident Grant Rimbey volunteered to design a new tower, one built to the exact measurements he derived from a similar tower on Sugarloaf Key in Monroe County. The Sugarloaf Key structure is one of three Campbell-inspired bat towers still standing.

In their heyday there were 16 Campbell-inspired towers in the United States and in Italy.

The other remaining towers are at the Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Orange, Texas; and in Comfort, Texas, which is near Austin.

Estimated to cost about $40,000, the new structure will be built in the 150-acre Riverfront Preserve, east of Florida College and adjacent to a pavilion designed and constructed in 2008 by students in the University of South Florida's School of Architecture and Community Design.

Unlike its 1920s predecessors, the interior of the new tower will have plywood sheets spaced 3/4 of an inch apart to encourage bat nesting. Campbell's design contained wooden lathing spaced 1 1/2 inches apart.

"The spacing of the lathes was much too large and I don't think it ever worked," said Rimbey, who through his research and the assistance of George and Cynthia Marks from the Florida Bat Conservancy, learned bats prefer living in tight, warm crevices.

When completed, Rimbey said, the tower will house up to 500,000 bats, which in turn will attract about 20,000 tourists annually who will pump $4 million to $5 million into the city's economy.

"Some say its agricultural benefits will actually be even greater because it will help keep the insect population down," Rimbey said.

The committee has raised $11,000 through various efforts. Rimbey, who, is the project's chairman, said he hopes to limit expenses by having at least a portion of the materials and labor donated.

"If we get a major corporate sponsor, this will affect the bottom line, too, especially if they are a construction company," he said.

The three-phase project involves constructing the tower's concrete base and legs; building the structure's steel frame and covering it with cedar shingles; and placing the plywood slats inside.

Rimbey expects construction will get under way in the spring and, if all goes well, the project could wrap up by summer's end.

"I view the re-construction of the bat tower as one more way that Temple Terrace can play on its unique character and sense of place," Rimbey said. "Just like placing the [Temple Terrace] golf course on the National Register of Historic Places, reconstructing the iconic Temple Terrace bat tower will help separate our city from everyone else's."

James Chambers, director of the city's leisure services department, said the tower will have a positive effect on Temple Terrace.

"Besides the environmental aspect of having bats replace the use of insecticides, it will be of great historical value," he said.

For information on the tower, visit www.battower.com.

jmckenzie@tampatrib.com

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