After Face-Lift, Historic Point Reyes Lighthouse Ready for Its Close-Up

For more than 100 years, the Point Reyes Lighthouse helped seamen chart a course along the rocky shores north of San Francisco.

Now, six months of work have produced a refurbished gem that is helping tourists navigate through the Pacific Coast’s maritime history.

“Things that are old aren’t just pieces of metal,” said Jeff Martin, a musician from Lake Tahoe visiting the lighthouse with his family Sunday. “They have a soul and spirit.”

As part of a $1.2-million restoration project at the historic light station, crews spent the last six months installing new electrical and water systems, coating the cast iron buildings with fresh paint and repairing the 308-step staircase that descends 300 feet to the lighthouse.

The work, completed last week just before the busy July 4th weekend, was needed because of the relentless elements at what may be the windiest and foggiest place on the Pacific coast.

“The conditions out here don’t allow things to stand for a long period of time without being re-treated,” said Steve Anastasia, a ranger and lighthouse expert with the Point Reyes National Seashore, where the lighthouse perches on rocky cliffs. “The combination of wind, salt blown from the ocean and moisture is what makes it so difficult to upkeep.”

The lighthouse draws more than 300,000 visitors each year. It provides dramatic ocean views and a good spot for whale watching, but also offers a glimpse into California’s seagoing past.

Construction of the lighthouse was completed in 1870 after numerous ships entering and leaving San Francisco Bay wrecked on the rocky headlands that jut 10 miles out to sea just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The lighthouse’s 6,000-pound lens and clockwork machinery were constructed in France and shipped on a steamboat around the tip of South America.

The cast iron tower was built in San Francisco and hauled to the site.

The lens, designed by Augustin Fresnel of France in 1823, is the only lens of its kind still preserved in its original condition. It uses more than 1,000 prisms to produce a magnified light that can be seen up to 24 miles away.

The clock-like gears rotate the lens at a constant speed to create a flash every 5 seconds, a unique signal that seamen recognized as the Point Reyes station.

“Beyond being functional, this thing is a beautiful work of art,” Anastasia said to a dozen visitors inside the lighthouse Sunday.

In 1975, the lighthouse was replaced by automatic lights nearby.

The National Park Service took over the lighthouse from the Coast Guard and now maintains the historic facility.

“It’s an important part of the history of the California coast,” said Patricia Chin, a seasonal guide at the park.