The light in many lighthouses has dwindled. Since they’re no longer being built, most have been taken out of service, and they’re now maintained as tourist attractions. The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 was enacted amid efforts to pass lighthouses off to federal agencies, community organizations and private entities for preservation, all through auctions. While many are still uninhabited, Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse remains a success story.
Fourteen years ago, the property off of Headlands Beach State Park was purchased by keeper Sheila Consul, and she has treated it just as that. The notable white, steel structure with a red roof reaching higher than 40 feet tall has yet to change, but the 3,000 square feet of space inside has been completely revitalized. Unlike many lighthouse keepers, Consul lives in hers, immersed among the waters of Lake Erie.
“I really loved saving old properties,” Consul says, “so I heard about the auction, bought it and have been renovating it ever since.”
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home brings the Washington D.C. native to the small town of Fairport Harbor every summer — a rather scenic work trip.
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Unlike many lighthouses in the area, Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse has been continually lit for all of its 100 years, so it’s still maintained by the Coast Guard. Consul’s job is simply to notify them if their lighting system fails, and the crew will come from Buffalo, New York, to fix the error themselves.
Buffalo has been part of Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse’s history since it was built in the 1920s. The structure started there in a factory before being shipped out to Fairport Harbor via boat. The lighthouse was finished on site on a platform built by Army Corps engineers, and it was first lit on June 9, 1925.
“They knew it had to withstand the worst weather,” Consul says. “So it's got two-foot walls, cast-iron staircases, beams. They included a boiler for heat in the summer and a cistern to store water so that the keepers could actually live here, have water and heat and cook. The engineering of this building is partly why it's still standing 100 years later. It was built so well.”
The Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse was an extension of the original Fairport Harbor Lighthouse, a tower that now stands at the corner of Second Street and High Street as a museum. Both are prime locations for the salt and gravel industries.
“Fairport Harbor connects to the Grand River, and down the Grand River are a number of industrial plants,” Consul says. “Massive international freighters were bringing in, bringing out. They knew they needed a lighthouse here, so they built the original one in 1825. Then, they decided it was doing so well that it needed to be even further out and help mariners even more, so they built this one.”
READ MORE: Beach Towns: Fairport Harbor Is A Tiny Town With Mighty Appeal
Consul succeeds only three keepers, all of whom resided between 1925 and 1948. For 60 years after that, the space was vacant, and even then, it was still attracting guests and beachgoers, gracing phone books and postcards and becoming the symbol of a small community.
Though Consul didn’t have shoes to fill, she did have a reputation to uphold. She was the first person in decades able to let visitors inside. Every year, she hosts an open house to celebrate the lighthouse’s anniversary. This year’s milestone is just a little more special than the rest.
“People of this area — Fairport Harbor, Mentor, Painesville — have literally looked at this lighthouse for their entire lives,” Consul says. “Most have never been inside, because the Coast Guard never had people inside when they owned it. People are thrilled to be able to take a peek now that it's renovated.”
READ MORE: 4 Lighthouses To Spot Along Lake Erie
The brick and steel walls maintain an industrial feel, but the space is livened with colorful walls, bright windows, updated appliances and nautical-inspired decor. Consul will share her renovations with the public this year on June 7 from Noon to 4 p.m.
“It's really important to them,” she says. “I like to consider myself a steward, someone who has been able to resurrect it and bring it back for this period of time. I hope it's going to live another 100 years and always be part of the community, even if I'm not involved.”
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