Old Point Loma Lighthouse
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse was begun in 1854 when a contractor’s crew from the eastern United States came to San Diego to build the port’s first lighthouse. The 20 ft. x 30 ft. Cape Cod-style structure was built of sandstone on the point’s highest elevation of 422 feet. The tower portion is situated in the middle of the building, 10 ft. in diameter, with a spiral staircase 33 ft. from the base to the top. The lighthouse was one of the first eight lighthouses, all built by the same firm, on the Pacific Coast of the United States. After the lighthouse was abandoned in 1891, it became the property of the U.S. Army as part of the Point Loma Military Reservation. Today, the lighthouse is one of the most prominent features of Cabrillo National Monument. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, a California Historical Landmark and a San Diego Historic Landmark.
San Diego, San Diego County
Photographer: John Bare