BUXTON, N.C. — The black and white paint of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse can be seen from miles on land and sea but not right now. The structure has been stripped of its paint and is surrounded by scaffolding, all part of an almost $20 million multi-year restoration project that began in September 2023.
“We started removing all of the beautiful, beautiful paint on the interior and exterior of the lighthouse so we can start doing some brick and metal assessments on the structure, so that way we know our path forward and how to restore the lighthouse," said Lindsey Gravel, project manager with Stone and Lime Historic Restoration Services.
Right now, the focus is assessing the brick and metal of the structure inside and out. That includes a mix of repairing and replacing it.
Watch: Visitors spy scaffolding during $19 million Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration
"There's going to be a lot of new brick going in, we're going to try to preserve as much as we can. The brick seems to be in pretty great condition, so we might not have to replace as much as we expected, but there's still some assessments to do, same thing with the metals. The metals could go both ways. Those have to be repaired in place as well. So as far as the restoration goes, we're repainting about 20% of the tower and on the base as well," said Gravel.
Once these assessments are completed, the hope is to start getting the paint back on the lighthouse by the spring of 2025. Visitors most likely won't see a whole lot of change before then, as much of the work is atop the lighthouse and inside of it.
Another focus at the moment is finalizing the plan for putting 11 new windows in place. Though modernizing the lighthouse is a part of this process, the key is preservation.
Watch: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse being restored during massive renovation project
“These brand-new windows, they need to meet structural and impact resistance according to the code, but historic windows will never meet the structural requirements of modern day. What we're doing is we're trying to figure out some path forward on how to meet in the middle so they can look as historic as possible, because that's really important in preservation, to give it the ornate and original feel.”
Progress is being made on the project, some that can be seen are the new and widened walkways work for a better visitor experience, work on restoring the Oil House and the installation of a replica of the Fresnel Lens that will be installed atop the lighthouse, similar to the original light, with an LED bulb.
Watch: Brand new 'shell-ebrities' at seashore excavation in Cape Hatteras
The main aspects of this restoration project from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore's press release are below:
- Rehabilitate the interior and restore the exterior of the lighthouse.
- Repaint the interior and exterior of the lighthouse.
- Restore important architectural components, including missing pediments over the lighthouse windows and missing interior doors.
- Repair and repoint masonry, remove corrosion and repair metal elements.
- Remove the metal weight track from the lighthouse.
- Install new railing using a non-corrosive metal on the lantern balcony.
- Remove existing rotating light beacon and metal platform from the lantern and replace with a replica of the original first-order Fresnel lens. The replica lens will be the same size and overall appearance as the original, but LED lights will be used inside the lens.
- Rehabilitate and repair the Oil House.
- Remove the existing vinyl perimeter fence around the lighthouse and replace with a replica of the original (pre-1920) decorative metal octagonal fence with granite bases.
- Fabricate and install a replica stockade fence around both the Principal Keeper’s Quarters and Double Keepers’ Quarters (Museum of the Sea) to match the look and feel of the original landscape of the early historic period (1870-1890s).
- Create a new walkway from the parking lot to improve pedestrian circulation, wayfinding, interpretation and the visitor experience.
- Relocate the Keepers of the Light Amphitheater stones to provide interpretation of the lighthouse keeper’s role.
For more information on the progress that has been made, head to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore's website here.
