WATCH: Lightning strikes Will Rogers’ Pioneer Tower in Fort Worth
A newly released video shows a bolt of lightning striking Will Rogers Memorial Center’s Pioneer Tower last week.
Rooftop camera footage from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art captured the moment lighting struck the tower on April 30. Watch it above.
The lightning strike damaged the tower’s outer dome and the tower rotunda remains closed indefinitely, Mike Crum, public events director for the city of Fort Worth, said in a statement Wednesday, May 7.
“The City’s Public Events Department is still assessing the damages from the April 30 lightning strike to the Will Rogers Pioneer Tower, and the Tower Rotunda will remain closed indefinitely for safety purposes. We are working with the City’s Risk Management and Property Management departments to find a vendor who can make the necessary repairs as soon as possible.
“This is not the first time the Tower has been struck by lightning, but it’s one of the more severe strikes in many years. Therefore, after these repairs – or as part of them – we will be installing a lightning protection system for the Tower. After that we will look at a next-generation LED lighting system to replace the current one.”
In addition to the statement, the city included the following photo of the damaged tower. See it below.
Staff writer Harrison Mantas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM.
