Unraveling the Real-Life Inspiration Behind Fallout 3‘s Tenpenny Tower

In the post-nuclear wasteland of Fallout 3, a towering stronghold called Tenpenny Tower houses the Capital Wasteland‘s wealthy elite. Behind its fortified walls, the privileged residents isolate themselves from the dangers and monstrosities outside. But where did the developers at Bethesda get the inspiration for this elitist refuge? The answer lies in a remote Alaskan town called Whittier, home to a real-life tower dubbed the "Tenpenny Tower of Alaska" by enthusiasts.

Welcome to Whittier – The Tenpenny Tower of Alaska

Nestled among snowcapped peaks about 65 miles southeast of Anchorage lies Whittier, Alaska. This tiny isolated town along Prince William Sound has a population of only around 200 people. And incredibly, nearly all of Whittier‘s residents live in a single 14-story military tower constructed in 1957:

The Begich Towers of Whittier Alaska. Credit: Peter Ptschelinzew/Getty Images

Originally built as low-cost housing for military personnel, this tower is known as Begich Towers. It contains 150 apartments as well as shops, restaurants, a health clinic, municipal offices and even a church – making it a self-contained habitat for Whittierites.

And much like the fictional Tenpenny Tower, access to Begich Towers is restricted only to residents and approved guests through controlled entry points.

“We don’t lock our doors in Whittier. We lock the gate.” - Whittier, AK motto 

So in many aspects Whittier‘s Begich Towers does resemble Fallout‘s privileged high-rise, housing the majority of a isolated community in a single guarded tower.

Let‘s unravel more about this unique Alaskan town that served as inspiration for Tenpenny Tower.

Born Out of War – Whittier‘s Origins

Whittier has a deep military history that shaped its peculiar design around Begich Towers. The remote ice-free port was built out as an army base during World War II to shuttle supplies to Russian allies through Alaska.

After the war it became part of the DEW line (Distance Early Warning system) meant to detect missile attacks and enable rapid deployment from Anchorage in case of a Cold War strike. Its prime strategic location led the military to construct Begich Towers to house soldiers and their families.

So in essence, Whittier was birthed as a strategically fortified settlement able to sustain hundreds of inhabitants – not unlike the sheltered strongholds we see scattered across the Fallout universe.

Military troops embarking from Whittier in 1943 during World War II

Even today, evidence of this Cold War military presence lingers across the area in abandoned structures now overcome by nature:

The abandoned Buckner Building just outside Whittier

With the harsh climate and surrounding glaciers and mountains, Whittier‘s geography shaped its need to shelter inhabitants together safely rather than scatter them in individual lodgings. This physical isolation and protection of a community under one roof subtly mirrors what we as players navigate in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout.

Next let‘s look at how the Begich Towers design enables this lifestyle.

Life in the Towers

Named after Alaska politician Nick Begich, the Begich Towers provided Whittierites everything needed to survive and operate as an isolated collective. Let‘s explore some key functions:

Housing: The upper stories house 150 apartments to accommodate Whittier‘s resident count of 214 people per 2020 census data. These small units are modest – meant for solo occupancy or couples rather than full families.

Commerce: The first two floors contain a grocery store, post office, church, health clinic plus a few restaurants and shops – making Begich Towers a self-sustaining ecosystem for residents. Whittierites can get medical aid, postal services, spiritual guidance and food without ever leaving their building.

Security: Access intoBegich Towers is restricted to keep out wildlife. Bears are common in Alaska, so measures need to ensure they stay out while enabling safe entry and exit for approved humans. This video shows the security entrance which resembles Intercom entry points guarding places like Vault-Tec vaults in Fallout.

Transport: A tunnel runs from the building to the port and rail depot, enabling inhabitants to access Whittier‘s harbor without exposure to the harsh winter climate and wildlife hazards. Again we see infrastructure built to connect living and work spaces safely.

Isolation: The one-way-in-and-out Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel granting passage through surrounding mountains serves as sole public entry point to Whittier. This makes it completely isolated from surrounding regions for miles. Whittierites have to schedule meetups with visitors in advance for this reason!

In these aspects, we see Begich Towers strategically constructed to shelter and provide for inhabitants with restricted access enforcing its isolation from external threats – similar to the fortress settlements in Fallout like Tenpenny Tower.

The one-way train through Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel into isolated Whittier. Credit: Peter Ptschelinzew/Getty Images

Winter Misery vs. Nuclear Fallout

However, there are some notable differences between Whittier‘s reality and Tenpenny Tower:

1. Whittier‘s threats are the freezing climate and surrounding wildlife more than violence. So the strict access limits focus on keeping bears out more than socio-political undesirables.

2. Tenpenny Tower in Fallout shelters inhabitants from radioactive fallout, whereas Whittierites just escape winter misery in Begich Towers.

As one resident put it:

“You‘re not trapped here unless you consider being warm, dry and having food to eat a hardship like some people do!” - 40-year Whittier resident, Hazel Evans

So Tenpenny Tower does amplify Whittier‘s isolation and protection of inhabitants for more sinister means – leveraging security against violent atomic holocaust threats rather than just seasonal hardship.

Next let‘s analyze Tenpenny Tower‘s intense social themes and how they reflect some darker realities of human nature.

Social Commentary – Tenpenny Tower vs Whittier

Beyond architecture and geography, Tenpenny Tower makes a rather poignant social commentary by portraying intense divisions between its wealthy residents and outsiders considered "undesirables."

Social Stratification

The inhabitants of Tenpenny Tower look down on scavengers and those exposed to radiation, designing fortress defenses to specifically keep them out. Their bigoted elitism is emphasized by prejudice against ghouls – banning them solely due to their visual mutations even if peaceful. We see a microcosm of intense social stratification and segregation here – not unlike the real-world discrimination still faced due to wealth gaps or racism.

By contrast, Whittier AK in the real world houses working to middle-class families and individuals without such intense social segregation. Its residents certainly don‘t weaponize Begich Towers‘ security against their fellow Alaskans!

So Tenpenny Tower amplifies themes around elitism and bigotry by inventing fictional divisions. In the process it also comments on very real human tendencies to discriminate.

“Apparently, the people here needed someone to hate...So they picked the Ghouls.” - Deputy Weld, Tenpenny Tower Guard

Ethnic Cleansing

Shockingly, the storyline involving Tenpenny Tower explores issues of xenophobia and ethnic cleansing as well! A band of sentient ghouls (outcasts mutated by radiation) seek entry into Tenpenny under peaceful pretenses but are violently denied.

This reflects numerous real-world atrocities committed against groups seen as alien or ‘lesser‘ than those in power. The parallels are emphasized when the seemingly benign ghoul leader secretly plans to forcefully overtake Tenpenny once given access. This makes players question preconceptions from all sides.

By contrast, nothing so sinister exists in the reality of little Whittier, Alaska! The real town simply lacks such intense faction politics and serves as more of a model for Tenpenny‘s structural form factor than its disturbing social divisions.

Quotes on Tenpenny Tower Inspirations

While the commentary in Tenpenny Tower veers into darker territory, the inspiration clearly took shape from Whittier‘s architectural uniqueness. Let‘s see what developers said influenced its design.

Confirmation from Bethesda Staff

Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer at Bethesda Game Studios who helped craft the story and dialog of Fallout 3, revealed in an interview that Tenpenny Tower drew minor inspiration from Fiddler’s Green – the fortified skyscraper in the film Land of The Dead:

“It’s a little nod to Fiddler’s Green in the middle of zombie infested Pittsburgh.”

So it seems Bethesda did find creative influences from other isolationist towers in fiction. However, the stronger real-world mirror is clearly isolated little Whittier with its one multi-story residence housing an entire remote community – keeping harsh natural elements out instead of zombies!

Gamers and journalists touring the Whittier landmark saw instant parallels too:

Players Draw Comparisons

Upon visiting Whittier, gaming journalists immediately associated it with video game towers of isolation in titles like Fallout.

Here‘s an excerpt pointing out the Tenpenny Tower similarities:

“Just 60 miles from Anchorage sits a real life reminder of such fiction made real. Welcome to The Begich Towers of Whittier, Alaska, an inspirational spark for isolationist towers in video games from Fallout to The Last of Us.” [Source article](https://fraghero.com/theres-a-real-life-version-of-fallout-3s-tenpenny-tower-and-its-in-alaska/)

Another gamer tourist tweeted:

“I‘m in Whittier Alaska right now & IT LOOKS STRAIGHT OUT OF A FALLOUT GAME!” - @Crowvo on Twitter

So clearly, visitors saw instant echoes of fictional game towers meant to isolate inhabitants from an outside world gone wrong. And the more one researches Whittier, the more inspiration lines up. Bethesda itself may not explicitly confirm Whittier as sourcing, but gamers spot the uncanny similarities instantly.

Now let‘s compare the two side by side.

Tenpenny Tower vs. Whittier Begich Towers

While details vary, the core conceptual parallels between fortified tower housing and isolating an entire locality reveal why Whittier AK earns its nickname as the Tenpenny Tower of Alaska.

So in closing, while some core architectural inspiration shaped Tenpenny Tower from Whittier‘s real history – the fictional location amplifies themes of isolationism and social division toward more sinister ends not actually reflected by the quaint Alaskan town that formed its genesis spark.

Nonetheless unlocking real-world inspirations behind environments portrayed in games reveals deeper insights on the art form as commentary on human truths. Hopefully this glimpse between fact and fiction achieved that!

And if you ever find yourself wandering a post-apocalyptic Capital Wasteland in Fallout – remember the residents of little Whittier, Alaska who call a tower much like Tenpenny home in our real world every winter. Just replace radioactive ghouls with the threat of hungry grizzly bears at their gates!