Point Fermin Lighthouse, San Pedro California
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- Lighthouse
Point Fermin Lighthouse was the first substantial aid to navigation established at San Pedro and what has subsequently become Los Angeles Harbor.
Of the several wooden lighthouses established in the 1870s between San Francisco and San Diego, this handsome structure remains as the sole example.
By 1871 sea traffic had increased to the point where guidance was needed by vessels entering Los Angeles Harbor. This brought about the construction of the Light which was first operated on December 15th, 1874. off the precipitous cliffs upon which the lighthouse stands, some 35 ships have been lost, mostly due to dense fog. One of these, the British ship Respigadera struck a rock and sank within 20 minutes when it cut too close to the Point in 1888. Among other ships lost were the David C. Meyer and the Prentiss, both lumber schooners.
In 1925 the Light's oil lamps were replaced by a powerful electric light that reached 18 miles out to sea. This continued to function 1942 when war was declared between the axis powers and the United States.
At that time the Coast Guard, for security purposes, turned the light off and painted the gleaming white building "wartime green". Its wartime service added further luster, however, by its conversion to a radar lookout station, the first of its kind in the harbor area. As an added point of interest this activity was cloaked in secrecy, radar not having been proven thoroughly reliable when the facility was installed.
After the war the light remained off, maritime security having been enhanced and proven by radar sentry and signaling devices, as well as by Light stations at Point Vincent and Los Angeles Harbor.
With the construction of a more elaborate radar installation on the crown of the hill behind the old Point Fermin Lighthouse, the structure fell into disuse, finally becoming a feature of a San Pedro City Park, where from its vantage point, it affords a magnificent panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
Site Description
The original structure, combined light tower and residence for personnel was constructed in 1874.
In 1942 the lantern, railings, revolving lens, and attendant mechanism were removed to accommodate a woodshed type of shelter superimposed on the tower
A radar lookout station was maintained in this for the duration of the war. All electronic equipment has long since been removed but the shed remains.
The overall structure is of balloon-type construction, lower portion having 8" channel rustic siding; tower exterior a board and batten design. Overhangs are supported by bracket construction characteristic of Victorian (1880) period architecture. The roof is a combination of mineral thick butt surfacing; decorative palasters located on second-floor elevations appear original. Ladders and pipe mar the lines of the original structure, much of the original fence is obliterated by foliage.
The building, in fair condition, serves today as a residence for park personnel of the San Pedro Park and Recreation Department.
An audio beacon located at another location on Point Fermin serves as a protective device for vessels entering and departing from Los Angeles Harbor.
Proposals for its restoration call for removal or dismantling of non-original structural features, and their replacement with facsimiles, and reinstallation of the original lens and its mechanism.
(1972)
(1972)
