Old Point Loma, CA - $$4.95
Point Loma Light House was one of the original 8 west coast lighthouses, built in 1855 in the Cape Cod style that was used for all of them. The forty foot tower rises from the center of the keeper's house, fitted with a third-order fresnel lens.
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, Point Loma, California
Point Loma Light House was one of the original 8 west coast lighthouses, built in 1855 in the Cape Cod style that was used for all of them. The forty foot tower rises from the center of the keeper's house, fitted with a third-order fresnel lens.
The Point Loma Lighthouse is perched on a windy finger of land, high overlooking the Pacific Ocean on one side, and San Diego Bay on the other. Built in 1855, it was abandoned before the turn of the century. For over 100 years no one has lived there.
Jim Cookson has designed this delicious little Pt Loma Light House model and he's gone and done something special... The light room and the railing on the sample model he made is printed on CLEAR plastic to bring out the softness and fragile- ness of the details. This little trick can, of course, be used on virtually all the light houses in this collection.
You'll see that Jim's style is a bit more detailed and slightly more advanced for the card modeler. The little extra time you spend on his models makes all the difference!
Instructions are clear and informative..and are always included with your model.. Keep them afterwards for reference.
This click will take you to the Light House collection's main menu.
Old Pt Loma Lighthouse,Point Loma, California
Point Loma was one of the original 8 west coast 
lighthouses,
built in 1855 in the Cape Cod style that was used for all of them.
The forty foot tower rises from the center of the keeper's house,
fitted with a third-order fresnel lens. A5 foot, 3rd order Fresnel
lens from France and was installed. At dusk on November 15, 1855,
the keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the oil lamp for
the first time. In clear weather its light was visible at sea for
25 miles.
The Lighthouse Board often built these early west coast lights high up on hills, as was the custom in New England. This tactic failed in the west, as the light often shone above the low-lying fog that is prevalent along the Pacific coast, making the light useless to passing ships. As a result, Pt. Loma served for only 36 years before being replaced in 1891 by a skeletal tower built near sea level.
Today Old Point Loma Lighthouse is the centerpiece of Cabrillo
National Monument, with a spectacular view of San DiegoHarbor.The
Old Point Loma Lighthouse was in operation from 1855 to 1891.
Standing 422 feet above sea level, its design did not take into
account fog and weather conditions common to the region. Many
times ships could not see its beacon. So a new light house was
erected down the hill closer to the water. The National Park Service
has refurbished the Ranger-led talks, displays and brochures
are available to explain the lighthouses interesting past.
Offering one of the best vistas of the bay, the grounds provide
a home to a variety of plants and animals. Self-guided tours,
films and lectures and a gift store offer information, including
historical books, maps and souvenirs. Also visit "New"
Point Loma Lighthouse near Whale Overlook, 100 yards south of
the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. From December to March, Pacific
gray whales can be seen from the park's western overlooks as they
make their annual migration. The area offers dramatic views of
the New Point Loma Lighthouse, the Pacific Ocean, and Mexico's
far-off Coronado Islands.
On the same National Parks Service grounds, you'll also find Cabrillo Monument, a tribute to Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo.
On September 28, 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed at San Diego Bay. This event marked the first time that Europeans had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States. Six days later, he departed San Diego sailing northward and exploring the uncharted coast line of California. His contributions helped to dispel myths and misconceptions, and allowed his contemporaries to proceed with the difficult task of colonizing the expanded Spanish Empire. His accomplishments were memorialized in 1913 with the establishment of Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo National Monument offers programs and a small museum about Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a superb view of San Diego harbor, the Pacific Ocean, and the winter Gray Whale migration. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, Fort Rosecrans coastal defense remains, a coastal sage scrub ecosystem, and the Cabrillo Tide pools are preserved here by the National Park Service.
Construction began three years later. Workers carved sandstone from the hillside for walls and salvaged floor tiles from the ruins of an old Spanish fort. A rolled tin roof, a brick tower, and an iron and brass housing for the light topped the squat, thick-walled building. By late summer 1854, this work was done. More than a year passed before the lighting apparatus -- a 5 foot, 3rd order Fresnel lens, the best available technology -- arrived from France and was installed.
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The model was printed clear on the laser printer -- the transparency
stock I have for the inkjet has two fatal flaws: I toyed with the idea of white clad phone wire for the drain pipes as an option with some fine wire railings for the front steps. Pasta seems a much tastier idea but harder to turn the corners (especially if "al dente"). |
