Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse: Photo by Mary Stebbins Taitt, click image to view larger.
In 1927, a resolution to erect this light was adopted unanimously. It is located at the eastern tip of Belle Isle marking the head of the Detroit River on a strip of man-made land extending the upper or easterly end of the island out into the river about a quarter mile and facing Lake St. Clair.
The 58-foot shaft of Georgia marble was designed by Albert Kahn and is surmounted by a gilt, bronze lantern room reaching to the height to 80 feet. The light is 11,500 candlepower and is visible for 15 miles.
The light opened the navigation season in 1930. It was formally dedicated October 17, the fifth anniversary of Livingstone’s death. William Livingstone was a prominent Detroit resident and was president of the Lake Carriers Association from 1902–1925.
The light was erected as a gift from the Lake Carriers Association and the citizens of Detroit at a cost of $100,000. It is one of two memorial lights in the State of Michigan and is the only light in the nation constructed entirely of marble.
On the lakeside of the structure is a bronze bas relief portrait of Mr. Livingstone and a bronze table inscribed with its dedication. This light made the old Belle Isle Lighthouse, which was near the current U. S. Coast Guard Station, obsolete.
9 comments:
Great shot! I love the peek through the fence.
Great perspective here, MST! Thanks for the info on the lighthouse, and thanks for the link to the Belle Isle Lighthouse, too. I cannot remember ever seeing a lighthouse that looks so much like a neighborhood house. Neat!
Great information. Fantastic photo! The perspective makes the building even more impressive!
Thanks so much Berrybird, Lynette and North Bay for your visit and kind comments!
Too bad they bulldozed the original lighthouse. I wish they had kept it for historical reasons.
Interesting story. I like the composition of the photo (the lighthouse that looks tiny behind the bars).
Eerie! The old Belle Isle lighthouse is very special, never seen one like that before.
Thank you Marie and Fenix for your visit and comments.
You've probably never seen one like the new one, either. But too bad they tore down the old one. :-(
WOW! Hi, my name is Anne (www.crazyauntcrazy.blogspot.com) and I was just doing some research on my great grandfather, Rear Admiral Charles Abraham Park, who was Superintendent of Construction, U.S. Lighthouse District 11, Detroit, 1911-24. My grandmother actually GREW UP in the original Belle Isle lighthouse that you refer to in this post. I went to Detroit and went to the Livingston Lighthouse a few years ago. I as quite confused because I knew that my grandmother had grown up in it, and it was quite clear that no one could grow up in the Livingston light house! I really appreciated that link.
WOW! That's cool info, very interesting, Anne.
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