Piedras Blancas Light Station, San Simeon California
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- California
- Lighthouse
The Piedras Blancas Light Station was established to assist and promote coastal trading and navigation. It also served to guide ships into San Simeon Bay, a once-thriving commercial port. The lighthouse itself dates from 1875; the fog-signal structure from 1906. Before its construction there were no lighthouses on the coast between Point Pinos (Monterey) and Point Conception, a long distance of some 145 miles. Even before San Simeon was a commercially viable port, the Bay provided a natural refuge for smaller trading schooners and brigs during storms and heavy northwest winds. Many perils lay offshore, though, in the form of submerged and jagged rocks. In 1868 the wreck of the Harlech Castle on a jagged rock (subsequently called the Harlech Castle Rock) served as the impetus for acquiring a light at Piedras Blancas. By the early 1870's San Simeon Bay was a thriving whaling port. In addition, large quantities of lumber, farm produce, and mining equipment for the newly discovered cinnebar fields above Cambria were creating the beginnings of a very active port commerce. The 1873 Annual Lighthouse Board Report told the Congressional Appropriations Committee that Piedras Blancas was one of the most important points to light on the California coast. An appropriation of $75,000 was requested and received. The construction of the lighthouse in 1875 together with the construction of George Hearst's 1000-foot pier in 1878 further increased the port activity and promoted settlement of the interior valleys. Coastwise shipping was extremely important to the region for the next several decades as overland access remained extremely primitive. The Carmel-San Simeon Highway was not even begun until 1919 and not completed until 1937. The economic importance of the San Simeon port has declined over the years. The whaling began dying out in the 1890's and the Twentieth Century saw the port serving mostly the ranch needs of the vast holdings of the Hearst properties. The 1930s and 1940s saw improved road connections to other parts of California and the tapering off of construction activity at William Randolph Hearst's hilltop estate. For nearly 65 years, though, the region relied heavily on coastal shipping and on the aids to navigation provided by the Piedras Blancas Light Station. The lighthouse is still active today (though with a modern aero-beacon) and still provides important navigational aid to California maritime interests.
A massive storm in 1949 destroyed the lantern room of the tower. At that time the 1st order Fresnel lens was replaced with the modern aero-beacon. The original Fresnel lens is now on display at Rotary Park in nearby Cambria.
The 1875 lighthouse tower is the principal element of the lighthouse complex. Even though the top lantern room was destroyed in a 1949 storm, the remaining portion of the structure exhibits a high degree of architectural sophistication. Outstanding features include the elaborate Gothic stone and brick work, the original massive paneled doors, and the interior cast iron circular stairway. Piedras Blancas was the most ornately Gothic lighthouse to be built in California. Its tall, cylindrical shape is more reminiscent of the classic "New England" lighthouse than the more typically squat California lighthouses located on bluffs or headlands. Its setting atop a knoll in the rolling coastal grasslands near the offshore "Piedras Blancas" rock formation makes for a memorable sight from Highway 1.
The 1906 fog-signal building is an interesting element of the light station complex. It is similar to most other fog-signal buildings in California in that it is essentially one large industrial room that was basically built to contain mechanical equipment. And like other fog-signal buildings, it has an exposed beam attic area and double doors on the front facade. It is very different from other California fog-signal buildings, however, in its outstanding level of architectural sophistication. Most fog-signal buildings were largely unadorned, reflecting their more or less utilitarian usage.
The Piedras Blancas fog-signal building on the other hand is a careful and studied blend of Romanesque Revival and Neo-Classical themes that were popular at the turn of the century. The many semi-circular arches recall a Romanesque influence while the "pediment" formed by the gable ends and the brick cornice definitely shows a sensitivity to Neo-Classical forms. The architect even included a vestigal "lunette" of recessed brick in the center of the would-be pediment. Other outstanding exterior architectural features include the brick cornice with corbeled dentils and the brick water table along the building's base. The interior likewise displays a concern for aesthetics rarely found in California fog-signal buildings. The massive exposed attic beams are varnished to a high sheen and each cross beam is bisected by a large wooden "teardrop" ornament. This building is arguably the most architecturally interesting fog-signal building in California if not the entire country.
The 1906 oil house building is structurally and functionally similar to other early 20th-century oil houses. It is located 50 yards from the lighthouse, close enough to be convenient but far enough away to prevent hazards.
Site Description
Piedras Blancas Light Station is located 13 miles north of Cambria at the northern entrance to San Simeon Bay. The tall, cylindrical lighthouse tower, located on a rocky knoll in the rolling coastal grasslands, is quite visible from Highway 1. It can also be seen from Hearst Castle. This visibility plus its scenic location near the offshore rock formation, "Piedras Blancas", makes it one of the most photographed lighthouses in California. The light station surrounding the lighthouse contains 11 buildings and structures. The station formerly contained a landing and a Victorian era Keeper's quarters as well. The integrity of the tower is not whole. A storm in 1949 dislodged the lens and scattered the cast iron lantern room throughout the fields. A modern light still shines from the lighthouse tower, but the remainder of the site is used as a biological research station of the Federal Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The 70 foot tall lighthouse tower was built in 1875 and is constructed primarily of white-painted brick. At the top of the structure a circular concrete metal-railed platform supports a variety of modern electronic aids to navigation devices. The conical shaped shaft is pierced by four recessed windows. Each window is surrounded by a semi-circular hooded brick arch with stone trim. The base of the structure is a one story brick octagon with a gabled, Victorian Gothic brick portico projecting from the north side of the building. The depth of the walls at the base of the structure are several feet thick. An interior wooden, four panel double door is located at the inner wall. An exterior, wooden, two panel double door is located at the the outer wall. The interior door is surmounted by a glass semi-circular transom; the exterior door by a Gothic arch metal plate displaying the 1875 construction date in bold relief Roman Numerals. A continuous decorative band of stone and corbeled bricks surrounds the top of the structure base. The structure rests on a small knoll. Access is gained by a single-run flight of cement stairs terminating at the entrance portico. The stairway's railings are unadorned iron tubes, but the newel posts are decorative cast iron.
The lantern room was destroyed by a storm in 1949. The original 1st order Fresnel lens is on display in the nearby town of Cambria. Everything else in the structure appears to be original and in very good condition. Outstanding features include elaborate Gothic stone and brickwork (with Romanesque elements), the original massive paneled doors, and the interior circular cast iron stairway. Piedras Blancas was the most ornately Gothic lighthouse to be built in California.
The Fog-Signal building, built in 1906, is a one-story, gable roof, rectangular building made primarily of brick. The exterior walls are made entirely of brick, from the foundation to the roof. The foundation is made of brick as well (with concrete repairs). The roof is covered in red-stain wood shakes. Three 4/4 double-hung windows are found on the north and south facades. Two similar-styled windows are found on the western side. Each window has a semi-circular 3-light transom directly above it. The east facade, the "front" of the building, contains no windows but it is pierced by a double door entranceway surmounted by a 6-light elliptical transom. The brick arches that are built around the curved transoms form a decorative pattern on the sides of the building. Brickwork is also used to create a decorative water table line and a cornice with corbeled dentils. Stylistically, this structure is a curious hybrid of several styles popular at the turn of the century. Most specifically, the arched brick windows recall a Romanesque Revival, while the brick "pediment" formed by the triangular gable ends and the dentil cornice line place it squarely within the Neo-Classical tradition. The architect has even included a vestigal "lunette" of recessed brick in the center of the would-be pediment. All these stylistic influences are particularly noteworthy because most fog-signal buildings were unadorned, utilitarian structures. The Piedras Blancas fog-signal building is arguably the most architecturally interesting such building in California. The interior reflects a similar concern with style. Although the interior is essentially just one large room built to contain the fog-signal mechanical equipment, its massive open beams and roof trusses have been varnished to a high sheen. Furthermore, large decorative wooden "teardrops" are located at the midpoint of crossbeams. The building, except for one noticeable exterior crack, is in very good condition.
The Oil House, built in 1906, is a small one story, flat-roofed building constructed of concrete with an iron door. It is similar or identical to most other such oil houses built in the early part of this century. Its unadorned design reflects its utilitarian function.
There are four ranch style Keeper's quarters constructed in 1960. These replaced a Victorian-era Keeper's quarters and Assistant Keeper's duplex.
The Old Coast Guard Office, built in the 1940s, is a one-story, wood-frame, peaked roof building, historically used as an office.
The Pump House, built in the 1940s, is a one-story, wood-frame, peaked roof building presently housing a decaying, unused water tank.
A 20,000-gallon redwood water storage tank on the site probably dates from the 1930s.
During the 1940's the Navy constructed a large metal industrial style building to the southwest of the lighthouse. It is presently used for offices and laboratories.
