Yaquina Bay Lighthouse gets its light back Tuesday as $1.8 million restoration nears completion

By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle

NEWPORT – The Oregon coast’s only wooden intact lighthouse was reunited with its lantern Tuesday, as the $1.8 million restoration of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse nears completion.

In the early morning fog, a crane carefully lifted the 11,000 pound lantern to the top of the 150-year-old lighthouse, still covered with scaffolding. There weren’t many onlookers at 6:30 a.m., a day after Oregon Parks and Recreation delayed the lift due to high winds.

Built in 1871, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was made to guide ships into Newport’s harbor. But it had a short run and discontinued just three years later when the Yaquina Head Lighthouse was built to the north.

Today, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the only existing Oregon lighthouse with living quarters attached and the only historic wooden lighthouse still standing.

No two lighthouses are the same, said Oregon State Parks’ historic architecture project manager Brian McBeth as he admired the details of the lantern up close. The stainless steel traction dotting the lantern was made up of little stars.

The lantern had just come back from a cross country journey to Alabama where its cracks were sealed and it got a fresh coat of paint. There have been other renovations to the lighthouse’s exterior, including a new roof, repairs to the brick foundation, siding, doors and windows.

“A big part of this project was making a weather-tight shell,” McBeth said.

Before restoration began in January, an assessment showed the lighthouse had leaks, water damage, insect infiltration and rot.

The roof is no longer wooden shingles, McBeth said. Wood was more practical when maintenance was more frequent and when the lighthouse was staffed by multiple people whose job was to make sure to maintain the facilities and that the light shone to guide ships into the harbor. Now, its staffing and purpose are different, he said.

People visit the Yaquina Bay Recreation site from all over the world and tour the inside of the lighthouse’s Victorian rooms.

Another difference, McBeth pointed out, was the brick foundation which got a mineral wash of the color red instead of a coat of paint. That will make it withstand the brutal coastal conditions longer, he said.

The restoration process is nearly complete, with some needed finishing touches with the carpentry, McBeth said. The lighthouse at Yaquina Bay State Recreation Area is expected to reopen to the public in late August after the restoration is complete.

• Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org