California Coast National Monument, Point Arena Lighthouse
by Aurelia Schanzenbacher
Title
California Coast National Monument, Point Arena Lighthouse
Artist
Aurelia Schanzenbacher
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Point Arena Light is a California Historical Landmark and is located in Mendocino. It is also part of the California Coastal National Monument. It is also a preserve for many of the sea lions who live in the California Coastal waters. The Point Arena lighthouse was constructed in 1870. The brick-and-mortar tower included ornate iron balcony supports and a large keeper residence with enough space to house several families. In April 1906, the devastating San Francisco earthquake struck the light station. The keeper's residence and lighthouse were damaged so severely that they had to be demolished. The United States Lighthouse Board contracted with a San Francisco-based company to build a new lighthouse on the site, and specified that it had to be able to withstand any future earthquakes. The company chosen normally built factory smokestacks, which accounts for the final design for the new Point Arena Lighthouse, featuring steel reinforcement rods encased in concrete. This was the first lighthouse to be built this way.
The new lighthouse began operation in 1908, nearly 18 months after the quake. It stands 115 feet (35 m) tall, and featured a 1st Order Fresnel Lens, over six feet in diameter and weighing more than six tons. The lens was made up of 666 hand-ground glass prisms, all focused toward three sets of double bullseyes. It was these bullseyes that gave the Point Arena Lighthouse its unique "light signature" of two flashes every six seconds. The optics, which held an appraised value of over $3.5 million, were set in solid brass framework and were built in France.In 1984, a nonprofit organization called the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers acquired the light station as part of a 25-year land lease from the Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation. In November 2000, the nonprofit group became the official owners of the property due to their diligent historic preservation and educational efforts. Daily visitation, gift store sales, memberships and the rental of the historic keepers' homes on the property as vacation houses, all provide income to the group, for ongoing preservation, facility upgrades, and educational endeavors.
Uploaded
January 24th, 2022
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