Grand Haven South Pier Lighthouse in Michigan just installed new brass vents with help from the Lighthouse Preservation Society.
“The recent Grand Haven Lighthouse restoration project focused on our 52’ tall South pier ‘inner lighthouse’, one of two structures located on our South pier on the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan, originally constructed in 1904. The two lighthouse structures on this quarter mile long pier were transferred to the City of Grand Haven via the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in the 1970’s to preserve and maintain the structures.
This current project phase, spearheaded by The Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy volunteer group, commenced earlier this year in June and was completed in August during our summer months which provides us our calmest seas. During fall and winter months our prevailing winds, waves and ice can make our pier impassable with 10′ plus waves not uncommon. This inner lighthouse restoration project consisted of exterior and interior painting and metal structural repairs, top to bottom. Metal hatches were constructed, door repairs, porthole windows re-gasketed, brass manual air vent covers fabricated with the assistance of James Hyland and the Lighthouse Preservation Society in New Hampshire.
With the inner lighthouse restoration complete The Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy volunteers have now set their sites on completing ongoing interior historical restoration of the ‘entrance lighthouse’, originally constructed in 1875. It is the second pier-based structure located at the outer tip of the pier, with the goal of having it’s restoration complete by the summer of 2026. The restoration focus is on the interior walls, ceiling, lighting, as ‘new’ windows and other exterior projects have been completed in the last decade. Recent projects in the entrance lighthouse included restoring the original lantern room. The lantern room which housed the original beacon light was pirated from the original 1855 lighthouse which sat atop a dune above the Lake Michigan shoreline. This original 100 square foot lantern room and deck now resides atop this current lighthouse, and houses the new beacon light. New stout double hung period style windows with ½” thick glass have been installed, as well as seven round porthole window glass’s, that until now were shuttered for decades. New period brass vents similar to the inner lighthouse were fabricated and installed. The local lighthouse Conservancy group plans to open the historically restored lighthouse to the public in the summer of 2026 as an interpretive historic lighthouse to explore and enjoy!”
