AN UPDATE ON THE REPAIR AND RESTORATION PROJECT FOR THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE

   -- by John & Aida Havel

Stripped of its iconic black-and-white stripes, and encased in a tower of scaffolding, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is nearly unrecognizable. On the grounds beneath the tower, there are piles of cast iron parts that need to be repaired or replaced, including the stair treads, gallery deck landings, railings, and other miscellaneous parts. The landscape is a patchwork of semi-finished brick and concrete pathways next to thousands of young seedlings that have replaced the scrubby grass patches and sand that previously were there.  All of this upheaval is a good thing, however, and marks the progress of an unprecedented restoration project that has been in the works for over a year.

Paint--While all of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse’s interior paint was removed late in 2021, Stone and Lime Historic Restoration Services – the primary contractor for the complete restoration – has carefully removed the paint from the exterior of the structure to uncover the original brick façade. The lighthouse brick will remain bare for a while, as repainting the exterior is one of the last phases of the project and is not expected to begin until sometime in 2025 or 2026.

Cast Iron and Metalwork--By volume, the three main materials within the lighthouse are brick, granite, and cast iron. The Victorian design cast ironwork is among the most elaborate of all American lighthouses. The piles of recently-removed stairs, railings, windows, and other metal components have been assessed to determine their condition, and whether or not they should be repaired or replaced. The goal of the National Park Service and restoration experts is to preserve as much as possible.

Landscaping--The grounds surrounding the lighthouse are another highly active area during the current restoration work, as preparations are made for new visitor walkways to augment the historic paths. Wide and sweeping sand-colored walkways will supplement the restored historic pathways to guide visitors from point-to-point around the site.

Fresnel Lens Replica--In the Visitor Center, the newest display is just a few months old. It’s an acrylic, brass, and aluminum prototype of the new first-order Fresnel lens that will eventually be installed in the top of the tower, and it was created to serve as a test model for the new replica beacon. Dan Spinella of Artworks Florida was enlisted to create the replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse’s original light source, and while this is his 50th lens project, it is the first time he has crafted a huge and complex first-order Fresnel lens – the largest of all Fresnel lenses. The final will have 24 flash panels, each with its own bulls-eye and hundreds of other individual prisms that allow the beacon’s light to shine out to sea for over 20 miles.

What’s next…  On a positive note, after removing the exterior paint that hid the condition of the original bricks, it appears that an original estimate was high and that less bricks will need to be replaced than previously thought.  But as to be expected in any 150-plus-year structure---particularly one that is oceanfront---as the original components, many hidden from view for over a century, are exposed, they are revealing some technical surprises that will likely change the workflow and the schedule moving forward.

The lighthouse site will remain open to the public for the duration of the project, although there will be marked-off areas on the grounds where construction activities are ongoing. The public can keep tabs on the progress and details of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project on the CHNS website.

    John Havel describes himself as a graphic designer, webmaster for this website, and an ardent researcher and writer on the history of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which he someday wishes to write an authoritative book on. He and his wife Aida Havel, who is an attorney, live in Salvo, on Hatteras Island, and enjoy researching the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.