Point Fermin Light
From lighthouses
San Pedro, California
Built: 1874
Decommissioned: 1941
This ornate Victorian lighthouse is similar in design to the original Port Hueneme Lighthouse, built just up the coast, and the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in New Jersey. It sits on the bluff at Point Fermin, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at San Pedro Bay. It originally housed a 4th order Fresnel lens. Shortly after the light was deactivated, the lantern room was removed and the top of the tower was converted into a box-shaped lookout tower, known locally as the "chicken coop" and used for spotting enemy vessels. After the war, a light on a metal pole close to the edge of the bluff replaced the lighthouse. The Coast Guard considered tearing down the lighthouse in 1972, but Bill Olesen and John Olguin coordinated efforts to save it. Over the next two years, the "chicken coop" was removed from the top of the tower, extensive restoration was carried out and a new lantern room was built. This lighthouse is now the crown jewel of Point Fermin Park and has opened its doors to visitors after having served as park employee housing for years.
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Lighthouses: A Photographic Journey
- Conceived and Developed by David S. Carter
- Photographs by Donald W. Carter
- Text by Diana K. Carter, Donald W. Carter & David S. Carter
Copyright © 1995-2011 David S. Carter, Donald W. Carter, & Diana K. Carter. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means, physical or electronic, in part or in full, without the express permission of the authors, is strictly prohibited.
This article was last modified on 9/17/2010.
