Avery Point Light
Post-renovations view in 2014
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 Connecticut
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| Location |
Groton Connecticut, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 41°18′55″N 72°03′49″W / 41.315260°N 72.063563°WCoordinates: 41°18′55″N 72°03′49″W / 41.315260°N 72.063563°W |
| Year first constructed | 1944 |
| Deactivated | 1967–2006 (reactivated) |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Tower shape | octagonal prism tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | unpainted tower, white lantern, black lantern roof |
| Height | 55 ft (17 m) |
| Focal height | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Current lens | LED |
| Light source | solar power |
| Characteristic |
 Fl G 4s. |
| ARLHS number | USA-023 |
| USCG number | 1-21742 |
| Managing agent |
Avery Point Lighthouse Society |
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Avery Point Lighthouse
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| Location | On Long Island Sound at 1084 Shennecossett Rd., Groton, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°18′54.8″N 72°3′49″W / 41.315222°N 72.06361°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1943 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 02000866 |
| Added to NRHP | August 23, 2002 |
Avery Point Lighthouse Society
Avery Point Light or Avery Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Groton, Connecticut, United States, on the Avery Point Campus of the University of Connecticut. Although construction was completed in March 1943, the lighthouse was not lit until May 1944 due to concerns of possible enemy invasion. Its original light consisted of eight 200-watt bulbs that were later replaced by a flashing green light in 1960. It was deactivated on June 25, 1967, when the United States Coast Guard Training Station moved to Governors Island. It is officially listed as the last lighthouse built in the state; the only other claimant is the replica Mystic Seaport Light.
The lighthouse deteriorated until it was declared a hazard by the University of Connecticut in 1997. A restoration effort was launched in 1999 through the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) and in 2000 by a new local chapter, the Avery Point Lighthouse Society. The restoration of the lighthouse began in 2001 and was completed in 2006, requiring a replica lantern and extensive structural repairs and replacement of the crumbling of the blocks. Two bills for $150,000 and $100,000 were appropriated and used to complete the restoration. The relighting and re-dedication of the lighthouse was held on October 15, 2006. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
The land upon which Avery Point Light was constructed was owned by Morton F. Plant's estate; his Branford Manor is located several hundred feet away. Twenty four years after Plant's death the estate was sold to the state of Connecticut before being transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's deed required the construction and maintenance of beacon lights or other navigational aids as part of the Coast Guard's new training facility. The Avery Point Light was named for Captain James Avery of New London, Connecticut.
The Avery Point Light was designed by Alfred Hopkins and Associates to be a 41-foot (12 m) octagonal tower. Construction of the tower was completed in March 1943; it is built of brown concrete blocks and topped with an octagonal wooden lantern. During the restoration effort, it was discovered that six different types of concrete blocks were used in the construction. The tower has a total of five windows, with two facing south and one for the north, east and west. The lantern gallery deck is constructed of concrete and lined with thirty two Italian marble balusters, originally imported from Italy around 1900. The interior has an iron ladder, originally wooden, that leads up to the watchroom level. The lighthouse design and masonry tower have Colonial Revival elements. It is the last lighthouse built in the state of Connecticut as an official navigational aid.
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Wikipedia