Let there be light

This was a significant day in the restoration of the 1867 lighthouse. The team of Marty, Tom, Barb & Jeff installed the first of nine replacement panels to open up the lantern room.

Why nine? The decagonal lantern room had a single glass panel remaining when FILA began restoration in 2006. Here’s what FILA faced in the early days:

Traverse City Record Eagle, Greg Johnstone photo

Amongst FILA’s early projects was enclosing the lantern room with plywood panels (one with a clear insert) to prevent further interior damage, a project initiated by long term volunteer Phil vonVoigtlander.

In the early 2020’s, Karen Wells, Jim Greenwall & Ben Eichorst inserted acrylic inserts into additional panels to further open up the lantern room. Working within the constraints of the plywood covers and their bracing provided light and improved views, but was far from ideal.

Inserts installed in plywood panels, Elijah Allen photo, 2023

Tom & Marty developed a 5-year plan for lantern room restoration after their first trip in 2022. They removed the deteriorated sheet metal at the base of the lantern room in 2023. They did further prep and planning over the 2023/2024 winter. And now, with the assistance of Barb & Jeff, they;ve installed the initial full panel this afternoon. Let there be light!

Tom removing an existing panel. Barb Falkenhagen photo. 

Eventually, we’d, of course, like to install replica glass, but not knowing the obstacles that awaited this project, acrylic panels were practical interim step. In fact, after 157 years, each opening will need custom fit glass due to rust and other imperfections in the frames.

Huge kudos to this team!