America’s weirdest lifeguard tower opens in San Diego — and it cost $2.5M

A temporary lifeguard tower that has popped up on one of San Diego‘s busiest stretches of sand is turning heads after residents learned the structure carries a price tag of roughly $2.5 million.

The elevated tower, which resembles a giant industrial platform perched above the sand in Mission Beach, officially opened in May ahead of a busy summer season as crews work around a crumbling permanent lifeguard station nearby.

The structure features a tiny traditional white lifeguard pod awkwardly perched on top of a massive multi-story web of steel scaffolding and open staircases, all fenced off right next to a busy pedestrian walkway.

After early reports suggested that taxpayers were footing a $4 million bill for what appeared to be just a temporary lifeguard stand, critics blasted the project as an example of mismanaged funds.

City officials insist the story is more complicated, and issued a fact check.

The actual construction cost of the temporary observation tower and an adjacent office trailer was about $2.5 million.

Another $500,000 went toward design and permitting, while the remaining costs covered emergency stabilization work, utility connections, structural monitoring, site preparation and safety improvements at the deteriorating permanent station.

The short-term facility sits just north of the aging Mission Beach Lifeguard Station near Belmont Park, which the city states “is one of San Diego’s most visited coastal communities.”

It is not a seasonal tower, and will be staffed year-round and serves as one of nine permanent lifeguard stations along the city’s coastline.

The existing station has become so deteriorated that inspectors deemed it unsafe. Large cracks had appeared throughout, and reportedly rusted metal framing was also visible along the roofline.

Officials said they couldn’t just head to the local hardware store and but a cheap, prefabricated shed to place on the beach.

Since the structure had to be built directly on the shifting sands of a challenging coastal environment, it required intensive engineering, heavy foundation anchoring, and meet the standards of the California Coastal Commission.

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