With the growth of Chicago’s population and industry in the mid – 19th century and the expansion of ship traffic on Lake Michigan, the Chicago Lighthouse Board recommended the construction of a lighthouse in Evanston after several shipping disasters had occurred in the area. The lighthouse was to be built on Grosse Pointe (Great Point). Construction began in 1872 and was completed in 1873; the lighthouse began functioning the following year.
Its tower stands 113 feet tall and was constructed of brick. The lantern room atop the tower has a huge Fresnel lens, remaining to this day. The light warned ships of shallow waters around Grosse Point and guided them into the Chicago harbor. On a clear night, the Grosse Point Lighthouse’s beam was visible for over 20 miles, and fog horns supplemented the lights in bad weather. In the early days it took three light house keepers and a day laborer to successfully run the lighthouse.
The brick in the tower began to deteriorate by the early 20th century, so the Lighthouse Board coated the entire tower in four inches of concrete, an expensive but effective repair. The lighting system was upgraded to electric in 1923 and the lighthouse became fully automated in 1934.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1941 because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the light station was turned over to the City of Evanston to be preserved as a landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1999.
The grounds are open for walking and the lighthouse is open during limited hours for guided tours. Many people enjoy the beach behind the lighthouse…
Our visit was on a warm day in early in spring, so the beach was crowded but the gardens were not yet impressive, although they’re probably nice to see in the summer.
