Lighthouse Restoration

Progress Update

February 2025

Though the holidays are behind us, there is much to celebrate at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park. As 2024 came to a close, the contractors were removing all of the exterior ironwork for replacement. There was too much rust and deterioration to salvage much.

The best pieces of each of the three belt courses, the outer galleries, railings and brackets were identified and packaged for shipment to the foundry in Alabama. New molds of each will be created and new parts cast in marine-grade stainless steel which is more resistant to the harsh coastal climate.

The interior stairs and landings have been painstakingly hand-repainted as have the walls, the windows have been reworked and are now functional and repointing of the mortar in certain areas is being done. The curtain walls in the lantern room are also being refurbished, with new tempered glass and the bronze framing and handholds stripped of old paint before new coatings applied.

The watch room cast iron walls will be stripped and refurbished and the brick portions replaced. At the service room level below, the walls will be entirely rebuilt, with circular concrete bond beams added for strength and seismic stability.

Meanwhile, on the outside, the tower has almost a startling new look. The full body scaffolding has been removed now that the exterior has been lead-abated and new coatings applied. The two collar scaffolds at the top will remain for the duration of the project to facilitate the masonry work and the installation of the new stainless-steel components when they return from Alabama.

Both lower belt courses will also require quite a bit of replacement brick and mortar. Once all the pieces are in place, a final coating will be applied to all the brick and metal.

While the tower may look “done” from a distance, there is still much work to completed on this complex and comprehensive restoration project.

Current estimates indicate project completion in the spring of 2026.

September 2024

The summer has come and gone, school is back in session, and the Pigeon Point restoration project is moving full steam ahead! In June, we mentioned the myriad elements that make up this project and the need for each element to have its own plan for addressing the relevant concerns. These are submitted to the state’s historic design and construction team. A number of these plans are now in place, and the contractor is moving ahead with work throughout the structure.

One of these plans looked at the removal of the multiple layers of paint, including hazardous lead. After several initial attempts with a variety of removal products, and hand-scraping to preserve the brickwork, a mysterious layer was identified which proved resistant to all efforts. This required the contractor and state team to discuss and design the best approach before work continued.

A related surprise was that the original layer of paint on the oil house chimneys turned out to be white rather than a red, brown or black color. Once the brickwork was fully prepped, a new white coating was applied, matching both the original color and other similar lighthouses.

Ironwork on the various belt courses is being evaluated and more deterioration than expected has been discovered. Discussions are ongoing to determine how much can be refurbished and how much will need to be completely replaced, along with the appropriate replacement materials.

One of the more exciting steps happened in a two-step process. A few weeks ago, the crew removed the lightning rod from the top of the tower and discovered another little time capsule. This time it took the form of a 1992 nickel placed there during the last rehabilitation project, completed by the US Coast Guard in 1992. This nickel will have a place of honor once the project is complete.

The second step occurred just after Labor Day when the crane returned to remove the vent ball chimney from the top. It will be assessed for its condition and how it will be refurbished.

With all that is happening, Pigeon Point is making news, including an article on August 4, 2024, in the San Jose Mercury News and a TV news story on CBS SF – Channel 5 (KPIX) on August 26, 2024: Preservation efforts underway at Pigeon Point Light Station - CBS San Francisco (cbsnews.com) Stay tuned for more exciting news as work continues! 

June 25, 2024

With the winter rains finally over, work is beginning in earnest on the restoration of Pigeon Point lighthouse. The crew was able to take advantage of the rains to prepare the interior of the structure for hazardous materials abatement, particularly lead and asbestos, by wrapping the stairs, landings and floors. Two rings of bracket scaffolding were installed, one just below the lower gallery and the other around the top portion of the lantern room. 

Behind the scenes, the contractor has been submitting discreet plans and protocols to address various elements of the project, from the hazmat protocols to materials specifications to procedures for conducting the investigative probing. This process will continue throughout the construction project to inform and guide the work as it is performed.
 
In the past few weeks, full scaffolding covering the body of the tower has been installed to provide for lead (paint) removal in a systemized section-by-section manner. Also, preliminary investigative probing has begun to determine the condition of the ironwork and brick and mortar in the upper interior and lower exterior belt courses.
 
The state’s design team met onsite with the construction crew in mid-June to discuss the condition of the ironwork and possible methods of proceeding. They also looked at options for removing the lead-based paint on the exterior and interior of the brickwork. The contractor expects to begin selective demolition in early July.
 
Stay tuned for more updates as the work continues. Restoration Update Details June 2024

Useful Links
Check this link for periodic updates: www.parks.ca.gov/PigeonPointLighthouseRestoration 
Explore the park’s website for more history of the park: www.parks.ca.gov/PigeonPoint
Our Facebook page provides a view to what’s happening around the park, including special events, wildlife sightings – whales, birds, and more – as well as activities at neighboring parks.

Our Valued Partners
Coastside State Parks Association – www.coastsidestateparks.org 
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks – www.thatsmypark.org 
Peninsula Open Space Trust – www.openspacetrust.org 
California State Parks Foundation – www.calparks.org 
California Lighthouse Society – www.calighthousesociety.org 

Read past restoration progress updates
View photos of damage to be repaired

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Projects on the Horizon

Tower (Upper Portion) –  In 2019, the State allocated $9+ million to restore the upper portion of the tower. Because of COVID-19 and the 2020 wildfires, the bid package was never released. This work is being addressed in the new $18+ million bid package being developed for the entire tower. Work will include the lantern room, the decks and railings, the upper belt course and masonry.

(Sketch courtesy of Architectural Resources Group)

Recently Completed Ground-Level Projects

Fog Signal Building – The exterior of the fog signal building was completely refurbished. This included restoration of the fog horn trumpets on the ocean side of the building as well as stabilizing the observation deck.

Before	After

Keepers Office & Oil Room – At the base of the tower, the small Keepers office and adjacent oil room received lead abatement, painting and a new roof. The front door and windows were also refurbished. This allowed limited public tours to take visitors into the first level and tower base.

Before	After

Oil Bunker – The 1905 oil bunker received a complete makeover, including lead abatement and painting. New interpretive exhibits were installed expanding upon those in the fog signal building. New benches were also placed outside the bunker for visitors. 

Before: Oil Bunker Exterior	After: Oil Bunker Exterior
Before: Oil Bunker Interior	After: Oil Bunker Interior

Picket Fence – A 200-foot stretch of dilapidated fence along the south bluff of the lighthouse was rebuilt by volunteers using donated materials.

Before	After