Caja de Muertos Light
Image taken in 1978
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 Caja de Muertos Lighthouse
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| Location | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 17°53′35.37″N 66°31′16.28″W / 17.8931583°N 66.5211889°WCoordinates: 17°53′35.37″N 66°31′16.28″W / 17.8931583°N 66.5211889°W |
| Year first lit | 1887 |
| Automated | 1945 |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Stone, Classical revival |
| Tower shape | Cylindrical |
| Markings / pattern | Gray with black lantern |
| Original lens | Third-order Fresnel. |
| ARLHS number | PUR 003 |
| USCG number |
31925 |
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Faro de la Isla Caja de Muertos
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| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| MPS | Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP Reference # | 81000690 |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 1981 |
31925
Caja de Muertos Light, (Faro de la Isla de Caja de Muertos) is an 1887 lighthouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico for its unusual Cross of Lorraine, double-arm, T-type shape structure. The historic lighthouse is located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The light stands at the highest point of the island.
The light was built in 1887 by the colonial government of Spain to serve as a 3rd order lighthouse. The original lighting apparatus was built by Sautter, Lemonnier & Company lens in 1885. In 1945 the lighting was automated. The lighthouse was restored by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and houses a lookout and a museum. In 2009, the government of Puerto Rico announced plans to make Caja de Muertos Island and this lighthouse a priority of the department.
The Faro de la Isla de Caja de Muertos is a major light and unique architectural structure within the Spanish Lighthouse system, as well as under American rule.
The structure is important because it is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico in that it has an unusual Lorraine cross, double-arm, T-type shape. The light is somewhat similar to the Isla Culebrita Light "but, in itself, is a major example of a variation within the central theme of utilitarian functions and aesthetical interpretation."
The light stands atop of the highest point of Caja de Muertos, Puerto Rico. The most catchy characteristic of the lighthouse is its unique and unusual Lorraine cross double-arm "T" shape.
Within this structure, the main entrance opens to a small vestibule. The vestibule in itself is a section of a 12 x 1 meter long corridor which led to the keeper's quarters. The entrance to the tower, which has a 3.9 meter square base located in the center of the structure, is across the main entrance. On both sides of the tower base there were two 4.74m x 4.55m rooms one which served as the engineer's room and the other as a storeroom. North of the tower base the oil room was located. This one measures 3.6m x 1.5m. Therefore, from west to east a structural connection is formed by the storeroom, towers' base, oil room, engineer's room, and the corridor. This section links the keeper's quarters. These were arranged into two parallel sections running north to south and oriented of identical dimensions.
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Wikipedia