Old Point Loma lighthouse
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
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 San Diego Area
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| Location |
Cabrillo National Monument Point Loma, San Diego California United States |
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| Coordinates | 32°40′19″N 117°14′27″W / 32.671983°N 117.240938°WCoordinates: 32°40′19″N 117°14′27″W / 32.671983°N 117.240938°W |
| Year first constructed | 1855 |
| Deactivated | 1891 |
| Foundation | natural emplaced |
| Construction | brick tower |
| Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern rising from keeper's house |
| Markings / pattern | white tower black lantern greenish lantern dome |
| Height | 46 feet (14 m) |
| Focal height | 462 feet (141 m) |
| Original lens | Third-order Fresnel lens (1855) |
| Current lens | Third-order Fresnel lens (Deactivated) |
| ARLHS number |
USA-627 |
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Old Point Loma Lighthouse
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| Location | Included in Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, California |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architectural style | Cape Cod style |
| NRHP Reference # | 74000350 |
| CHISL # | 51 |
| SDHL # | 17 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 27, 1974 |
| Designated SDHL | November 6, 1970 |
USA-627
The original Point Loma Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located on the Point Loma peninsula at the mouth of San Diego Bay in San Diego, California. It is situated in the Cabrillo National Monument. It is no longer in operation as a lighthouse but is open to the public as a museum. It is sometimes erroneously called the "Old Spanish Lighthouse", but in fact it was not built during San Diego's Spanish or Mexican eras; it was built in 1855 by the United States government after California's admission as a state.
On September 28, 1850, just 19 days after admitting California to the Union, Congress appropriated $90,000 to construct lighthouses along the California coast. A second appropriation of $59,434 was made in 1854 to complete the job. Lighthouses were designated for Alcatraz Island, Point Conception, Battery Point, Farallon Island, Point Pinos and Point Loma.
A site was chosen in 1851 near the summit of Point Loma. The contract was given to the Washington, D.C. company Gibbon and Kelley. The local supervisor was William J. Timanus.
Construction was begun in April 1854, when a shipment of materials arrived from San Francisco. The lantern and lens had to be ordered from Paris and arrived in August 1855. The lighthouse was completed by October 1855 and was lighted for the first time at sunset November 15, 1855. It was designated light number 355, of the Twelfth United States Lighthouse District.
When the lighthouse was constructed, an additional small structure was built next to it. This building was originally used as a storehouse for oil, wood, and other supplies. However, in 1875 part of it was converted into a two-room apartment for the assistant lighthouse keeper. It was built with rough lumber and the inside was lined with cloth and paper, since cracks would frequently develop in the walls. This thin lining was later replaced with tongue and groove boards. More repairs must have been made in 1880 for the structure was still being used as a living space for the assistant. Today this building has been changed once again, and now serves as a museum. It holds the original lens of the New Point Loma lighthouse as well as maps and more information about Point Loma and its history.
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Wikipedia