Historic preservation buffs along the Oregon Coast can eagerly mark their calendars for 2025. The venerable Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is slated to undergo a full exterior restoration, ensuring that this iconic structure will be spruced up for future generations to appreciate. Built back in 1871, this lighthouse is not only an Oregon original; it's the last wooden lighthouse of its kind in the state, complete with the old-school charm of combined lighthouse and living quarters.
According to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department official announcement, the lighthouse will shut down come January 1, 2025, and will not to open again until June of the same year. But don’t let the temporary closure dampen your coastal plans—the surrounding park is keeping its gates wide open. With a budget in the ballpark of $1.6 million, the list of touch-ups includes, but is not limited to, a new roof, lantern rehab, and intact brick foundation, all culminating in a fresh coat of paint to cap it off.
While the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse stopped guiding ships way back in 1874, just three years after its construction, in favor of the more prominent Yaquina Head Lighthouse, it has continued to serve as a historical touchstone for locals and tourists alike. This close-touch with the past is precisely why the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is keen on preserving such landmarks. "This restoration will help protect the historic structure for future visitors to enjoy," said Brian McBeth, historic architecture project manager, in a statement released by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
It seems that whether it's guiding ships or serving as a coastal beacon of Oregon's storied past, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse has long been in the business of illumination. This investment is much more than a vanity project; it's an act to uphold a slice of maritime heritage, as the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department's mission to protect and share historic structures is taken seriously. After all, maintaining such cultural touchstones is an inherent part of sharing them with visitors—seasoned and green—ensuring that they aren't just coastal waypoints but living pieces of the narrative that is Oregon's history.
