Lorain West Breakwater Light
 Lorain Light | |
 | |
| Location | Lorain, Ohio, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°28′39.28″N 82°11′25.90″W / 41.4775778°N 82.1905278°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1917 |
| Foundation | Concrete Pier[1] |
| Construction | Concrete with steel reinforcing[1] |
| Height | 51 feet (16 m)[1] |
| Shape | Square |
| Markings | White with red trim |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Fog signal | Horn[1] |
| Light | |
| First lit | 2001 |
| Deactivated | 1965 |
| Focal height | 17.5 m (57 ft) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel[1] |
| Range | 6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl R 4s |
Lorain Lighthouse | |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1909 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002108[2] |
| Added to NRHP | 29 December 1978 |
The Lorain West Breakwater Light, also called the Lorain Harbor Light, is a lighthouse in Lorain, Ohio, United States. The light was built in 1917 on Lake Erie by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It was taken out of service in 1965 when it was replaced by an automated light tower on a nearby breakwater.[3] The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2]
History
[edit]The 1917 lighthouse was the fourth lighthouse built to service the City of Lorain's Black River port. After the automated light tower was installed in 1965, the 1917 light was decommissioned and marked for demolition. The demolition had to be rescheduled for the following year after the project was delayed by a storm. During that time, the Lorain community was able to mobilize to save the lighthouse as a historical landmark for the City of Lorain.[4]
The original lens was a fourth order, Fresnel that was installed in 1918.[5] When the lighthouse was decommissioned, the Fresnel lens was relocated for use in a New York lighthouse. In 2021 the original Lorain Fresnel lens was returned to Lorain and is on display inside the Lorain Port Authority.[6]
The Lorain Lighthouse has been managed by the Lorain Lighthouse Foundation (formerly Port of Lorain Foundation) since 1990.[7] The lighthouse has won "best lighthouse" by Lake Erie Living Magazine in 2013–2024.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Lorain Light". National Park Service. 7 March 2002. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2 November 2013.
- ^ "Lorain's Historic Lighthouse". Lorain Port Authority. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
- ^ Penrose, Laurie (1994). A traveler's guide to 100 eastern Great Lakes lighthouses. Davison, Michigan: Friede Publications. p. 15. ISBN 9780923756093. Retrieved 30 July 2025 – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Lorain West Breakwater Light". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Payerchin, Richard (15 July 2021). "Vintage Lorain Lighthouse lens restored, displayed by Lorain Port Authority". The Morning Journal. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Guerrieri, Vince (May–June 2017). "The Lorain Lighthouse". Lake Erie Living.
- ^ Editorial Staff (19 April 2025). "Lorain Lighthouse up for magazine's Best Lighthouse in 2025 award". The Morning Journal. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
- U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
- Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3
External links
[edit]
Media related to Lorain lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Ohio". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Ohio". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017.
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- Buildings and structures in Lorain, Ohio
- National Register of Historic Places in Lorain County, Ohio
- Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
- Lighthouses completed in 1917
- Transportation in Lorain County, Ohio
- Northeastern Ohio Registered Historic Place stubs
- United States lighthouse stubs