Restoration work has begun on the 150-year-old Old Point Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument.
Workers last week began repairing leaks in the tower roof, removing old paint, rust and scale, priming and repainting the cast iron deck plates, walls and steel posts and the railing around the lantern. The project will cost about $119,000 and take three or four weeks to complete. The last time work was done on the lighthouse was 1982.
"This restoration project will ensure that visitors to Cabrillo National Monument will be able to enjoy this treasured San Diego icon for years into the future," said superintendent Terry DiMattio.
During the course of construction, being performed by Alameda-based Joseph Murphy Construction Inc., the light will be shut off and the building will be covered with scaffolding, park officials said.
The lighthouse and The Lighthouses of Point Loma exhibit in the Assistant Keeper's Quarters will remain open to the public during normal park operating hours, with brief closures for safety reasons.
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse was build in 1855 to guide mariners in and out of San Diego Bay. It was deactivated in 1891.
