The years-long Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project has celebrated some major milestones in the past few months, but newfound issues near the top of the tower may delay a number of next steps.
The problematic area is located at “level 9” which is comprised of 16 brackets that effectively hold up the pinnacle of the lighthouse, including the lantern room and the adjacent deck where visitors can circle the top of the tower.
On this level, the majority of the roughly 10-foot-tall brackets are cracked and structurally deficient, and these issues spiderweb into the deeper, inner layer of the tower.
The cracks were first discovered during an initial round of exposing the interior in August 2024. Engineers reviewed the damage shortly afterwards, and additional exposure of the interior area occurred in October and November.
“We then realized we needed to open up that internal web, and that happened in early December,” said Lindsey Gravel, Site Quality Control Manager for Stone and Lime, which is spearheading the project. “They are acting quickly, it’s just a long process of structural discussions.”
The next step is working with an engineer and architect team to map out a plan for conducting the more intensive repairs, which were not in the original cost and restoration assessment.
The repairs, restoration, and replacement of all of the intricate components of the lighthouse and the surrounding grounds were first outlined in a 2014 Comprehensive Condition Assessment Report and a 2016 Historic Structure Report, and the National Park Service has had funding for the massive $19.2 million project in reserve for years.
Though the restoration phase began in earnest in February 2024, this recent development puts a potential wrench in the works for the total cost and project completion date, but it’s too soon to know the specifics on potential delays, or extra funds needed.
“We don’t know how much to ask for additional funding yet, because we have some additional work to do to make that determination,” said David Hallac, Superintendent of National Parks of Eastern NC. “Currently, we have an architect and engineer, and they are the folks that develop the design for this repair project. What they are doing is they’re taking all of the information that we’ve uncovered, literally, and using a structural engineering model to make a determination for why there was cracking occurring in those locations…
“Once they figure that out, they will recommend a series of repairs, which could mean complete replacements… and once we know what that repair prescription looks like, we will develop an estimate to do that work.”
The new study of the cracked brackets means that other instrumental steps like repainting the lighthouse, installing the Fresnel lens replica, and eventually removing the tower of scaffolding could be put on hold.
But, as Hallac explained, the potential delay won’t hinder the visitor experience this summer, as the inside of the lighthouse was already scheduled to be closed until at least the summer of 2026 due to the ongoing restorative work.
“What visitors should expect this summer is to see something amazing, and that is this complete top-to-bottom renovation of this really important, iconic structure,” said Hallac. “So, they’ll see the scaffolding up. They’ll see the lighthouse without paint on it, which is unique and really interesting… They’ll have a chance, possibly, to see some of the work on the landscape as well…
“So, at a minimum, they’re going to see a project underway to repair this icon, [and] we are looking at some additional interpretive or educational programs to provide updates on what’s going on here.”
Outside of the recently exposed structural issues, however, there have been waves of progress in other aspects of the intricate restoration project.
Fresnel Lens
Behind the scenes and off the island, a historic replica of the lighthouse’s first-order Fresnel lens is in the final stages of construction by Dan Spinella of Artworks Florida, who is one of the only people in the world who can restore and replicate a Fresnel lens.
While this is Spinella’s 50th lighthouse project, it is the first time he has created a replica of a first order Fresnel lens – the largest of the eight orders of Fresnel lenses, which was invented in 1819 by French physicist Augustin Fresnel (pronounced Fruh-nel).
Spinella started the venture in 2024 with a prototype, and since then he has been steadily constructing the replica itself, which includes a vast network of moving parts. But all of these bits and pieces have been completed, and the last task is to install hundreds of glass prisms into the framework of the lens.
“It originally had 1,008 prisms, but the new replica will have 432 pieces,” said Gravel. “The overall work left is to install the prisms into the frames, which is to be completed, hopefully, early summer.”
A temporary beacon was installed in the spring of 2024 and will remain in place until the new Fresnel lens is complete.
Landscaping
The grounds surrounding the lighthouse are another highly active area in the current restoration work, with the construction of new pathways, the addition of native plants and vegetation, and the relocation of the iconic “Keepers Stones.”
These 36 stones, once part of the lighthouse’s foundation, were engraved with the names and dates of service for past lighthouse keepers and were added to the Cape Hatteras site after the lighthouse was moved in 1999. “They look really beautiful in their new location,” said Gravel.
As for the grounds, frequent visitors to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse may remember the pre-2024 site as a patchwork of grass and bare earth, due to decades of foot traffic. With the new circular pathways and fresh landscaping, the Cape Hatteras Light Station is already more attractive and easier to navigate.
“As far as the plantings go, there are quite a few,” said Gravel. “There are 5,216 sea oats, 3,974 saltmeadow cordgrass or salt hay, 1,490 bitter panicum, 869 seaside goldenrod, and 869 galeria, or blanket flower.
“Now there’s additional phases of work to be completed, she added. “There’s going to be more plantings in phase two and phase three of our landscaping work, as we start to move away from the lighthouse.”
Exterior fences
Two fences are also being erected on the lighthouse grounds, which may appear like new additions, but which actually mimic what the site looked like decades ago.
One fence is a wooden white stockade fence that borders the visitors center, while the other is a metal gate that hasn’t been a part of the landscape since the 1920s.
“We’re replicating that ornamental fence that went around the full lighthouse,” said Gravel. “And we’re viewing historic documents to match the ornamental finials and pickets as closely as possible.”
Finding evidence of what this fence originally looked like was a challenge, but project consultant and historian John Havel was able to track down a lone photo from 1893 that showed the fence in detail.
“We were able to utilize [the photo and] molds to replicate the original, so we’re getting as close as we possibly can,” said Gravel.
Inside the lighthouse itself, while the top of the tower has new challenges, work has been completed or is in progress for many other instrumental elements.
Paint has been removed from the entire inside and outside of the lighthouse, hundreds of metal components are being repaired or re-cast, new windows are in fabrication, and significant masonry repair and repointing efforts are underway.
Time and research will reveal the extent of any excess costs and delays when it comes to the top of the tower, but the majority of the lighthouse improvements orchestrated by contractor Stone and Lime are slowly and steadily coming to fruition.
“They have made incredible progress on this project and done a really good job of working with us as a team to work through the challenges that have come up,” said Hallac. “No project on a structure like this that’s unique and over 150 years old is going to move forward about some surprises, and they’ve done some amazing work as a collaborator to work through those challenges.”
In the months ahead…
• The lighthouse will keep its bare brick-red color until the exterior painting begins, with a timeframe to be determined after the structural repairs at the top of the tower have been addressed.
• 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 lighthouse will hopefully reopen for climbing as early as the 2026 summertime season. Once the lighthouse is open for climbing, tickets will only be available electronically, similar to the current Bodie Island Lighthouse ticket-purchasing system.
• The public can keep tabs on the progress and details of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project on the CHNS website.
$19 million!!!!!!!! You could have built 5 new lighthouses for that kind of money!!!! Plus they keep changing things because they have so much money..
what a waste of taxpayer funds!!!
Not wasted money. This lighthouse is the heart of the Atlantic. I’m grateful for the restoration just like I was when it was moved to save it!