Point Fermin Light

Point Fermin is a lighthouse on Point Fermin in San Pedro, California.

Point Fermin Light
Point Fermin Light
California
LocationPoint Fermin
San Pedro, Los Angeles
California
United States
Coordinates33.705420°N 118.293649°W / 33.705420; -118.293649
Year first constructed1874
Year first lit1874
Deactivated1942
Foundationbrick basement
Constructionwooden tower (first)
metal pole (current)
Tower shapesquare tower with balcony and lantern (first)
pole with light (current)
Markings / patternwhite tower, grey trim (first)
Tower height30 feet (9.1 m) (first)
Focal height120 feet (37 m) (current)
Original lensFourth order Fresnel lens (Now on display)
Current lensNone (Lighthouse not active)
CharacteristicFl W 10s. (Metal pole)
Admiralty numberG3794
ARLHS numberUSA-621
USCG number6-0140
Managing agentLos Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks[1] [2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Point Fermin Lighthouse
NRHP reference No.72000234
Added to NRHPJune 13, 1972

History

The lighthouse was built in 1874 and designed by Paul J. Pelz, who also designed Point Fermin's sister stations, East Brother Island Light in Richmond, California, Mare Island Light, in Carquinez Strait, California (demolished in the 1930s), Point Hueneme Light in California (replaced in 1940), Hereford Inlet Light in North Wildwood, New Jersey, and Point Adams Light in Washington State (burned down by the Lighthouse Service in 1912), all in essentially the same style. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed in 1942 and a wood replica lantern was installed in 1974. The lighthouse was saved from demolition in 1972 and refurbished in 1974, and a new lantern room and gallery were built by local preservationists. In 1972, the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Historical Information from Coast Guard web site:

  • Point Fermin Light was built in 1874 with lumber from California redwoods.
  • In 1941 the light was extinguished due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There was fear that the light would serve as a beacon for enemy planes and ships. Later, the lantern room and gallery were removed. They were replaced by a lookout shack that remained for the next 30 years, and was referred to as "the chicken coop" by locals.
  • In 1972 the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
  • The light fell into disuse and disrepair. A new lantern room and gallery were built in 1974.
  • The building has now been restored to its original state and is open to the public as the Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum.
U.S. Coast Guard Archive

The original Fresnel lens from the lighthouse, removed in the 1940s, had been missing for decades. After being found and positively identified, on November 13, 2006 the lens was relocated to a display in the restored lighthouse museum from the real estate office of Louis Busch in Malibu, California, where it had been on display.[4]

The lighthouse is open daily except Monday and holidays.

In 1986, the lighthouse appeared in a second-season episode of Amazing Stories, "Magic Saturday". The lighthouse also featured in two episodes of MacGyver: "Flames's End" and "D.O.A.: MacGyver".[5]

In June 2011, the General Services Administration made the Point Fermin Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them.[6][7][8]

See also

References
  1. Point Fermin The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 13 June 2016
  2. California Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 June 2016
  3. "Asset Metadata: Point Fermin Lighthouse". National Park Service.
  4. "Point Fermin Lighthouse". LighthouseFriends. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  5. "MacGyver Online: Filming Locations". MacGyver Online. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  6. "For sale: Waterfront property; cozy, great views, plenty of light, needs TLC". CNN. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  7. Beatty, MaryAnne. "GSA Making 12 Historic Lighthouses Available at No Cost to Public Organizations Willing to Preserve Them". GSA Website. US General Services Administration. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  8. Littlejohn, Donna (January 20, 2015). "City of Los Angeles wins bid to operate historic Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro". Daily Breeze. Torrance, CA.


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