Fine Art Photo Impressions: Point Fermin Light - an elegant Victorian Style Lighthouse in California

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Point Fermin Light - an elegant Victorian Style Lighthouse in California

Point Fermin Lighthouse is a light station on Point Fermin in San Pedro, California, overlooking the entrance to Los Angeles Harbor. The ornate Victorian light station was built in 1874 with lumber from California redwoods and fir. The first lighthouse keepers, two sisters from Washington, resigned after eight years at Point Fermin, saying the life was too lonely, something that is hard to imagine given the area's present population.
Point Fermin Light remained active until December 1941, two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. There was fear that the light on the hilltop would serve as a beacon for enemy planes and ships. Shortly after the light was deactivated the original fourth-order Fresnel lens was removed and had been missing for decades. Point Fermin light fell into disuse and disrepair.
In 2002, a $2.6 million dollar face-lift was initiated on Point Fermin Lighthouse. The building has now been restored to its original beauty and is open to the public as the Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum. And more than thirty years after it was removed, the original hand-crafted Fresnel lens was found and positively identified. In November 2006 it returned home and is now on display in the restored Point Fermin Lightstation.
Today, Point Fermin Lighthouse is one of San Pedro's most recognized landmarks. The vantage point atop the rugged bluffs affords a breathtaking view of the coast toward Santa Catalina Island as well as spectacular views of the coast and Channel Islands. You may even be able to spot playful dolphin and harbor seals from the cliffs.

Point Fermin Light - an elegant Victorian Style Lighthouse in California