2023 climbing season for Cape Hatteras Lighthouse unlikely as restoration project takes next steps

While the Bodie Island Lighthouse will open for climbers on April 26, a 2023 climbing season for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is unlikely, as a years-long project to restore the 1870 structure enters the next phase.

The first phase of the project wrapped up in 2021, and entailed removing the interior paint to provide a clean slate for the extensive restoration work to come.

Since 2021, the National Park Service (NPS) has gone through a steady process of identifying the next steps, which included a series of public meetings, a public comment period, and the release of the Environmental Assessment in 2022 for the proposed future plans.

Initially, the NPS presented three possible options for the restoration, ultimately choosing the following plan for both the landscape and the structure itself:

• New pedestrian loop that connects site features, encouraging visitors to enter the site from a new northern path.
• Contoured landscape with native vegetation to encourage visitors to stay on paths.
• New shade pavilion in the trees to accommodate waiting tour groups.
• New interpretive elements for the lighthouse move and other area resources.
• Production of a replica of the original lens, and installation in the lighthouse as a new light source.

The big elements of the upcoming project include the landscape overhaul and the lighthouse lens replacement, which will entail creating a replica with an LED light that resembles the original 19th-century first order Fresnel lens. Currently, this original Fresnel lens is housed at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, while the lighthouse is illuminated by a more modern 1950s-beacon that was installed decades ago.

“We talked with the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and we looked at the possibility of restoring the original lens, but we made the determination after consultation with partners and other historic architects working on the project that we would just replicate the original lens,” said Robin Snyder, Deputy Superintendent for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The other noticeable aspect of the project will be the landscaping that surrounds the lighthouse itself. “Visitation to this site is so extreme, that if you take a walk out there, you will notice all of the circulation patterns [from foot traffic],” said Snyder. “People are cutting across the yard, and the grounds are degraded from all the different angles people take to this lighthouse.”

“So, we thought, ‘let’s take a look at the visitor circulation patterns and how we can improve that.’”

While the lens replacement and the landscape are two of the most visible aspects of the restoration, there is a long list of repairs and updates that will be conducted once the restoration work begins.

“There are so many moving parts and pieces to this project,” said Snyder. “We’re looking at the structural integrity of the stairway, and we’re also adding enhanced lighting [to the staircase], but mostly we’re looking at all the fabric of this structure.

“The lighthouse structure itself needs a complete overhaul,” she added. “We’re talking about looking at every piece of metal, repainting the structure, fixing damage, and mortar replacement.”

The specific designs for the project have been completed and are being reviewed, and from there, construction bids will begin to be accepted.

The construction project is expected to be awarded by October 1, 2023, and work could begin by the end of the year.

The years-long project originally stemmed from a 2014 Comprehensive Condition Assessment Report and a 2016 Historic Structure Report, and the estimated $18 million cost has already been approved by the U.S. Congress, which occurred several years ago.

While the interior of the lighthouse will likely be closed to climbers in 2023 for the fourth year in a row, (it was closed in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and closed in 2021 and 2022 due to the restoration project), when it reopens, it will be at its historically-accurate best from the inside out.

For more information on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration and landscape improvements project, click here.