{"nrhp_refnum":"91001096","name":"Yerba Buena Island Lighthouse","other_names":["Goat Island Lighthouse"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Yerba Buena Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Francisco","county":"San Francisco","state":"CA","lat":37.807258207000075,"lon":-122.362600182,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-09-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small light station on the southern slope of Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay, California, with a wood-frame lighthouse tower (1875), fog-signal building, Keeper's quarters (1873) and oil house (1907).","why_significant":"The station is significant under Criteria A and C for its link to California's reliance on maritime transportation and for its intact late 19th century buildings. The tower is the only freestanding wood-frame lighthouse tower still operating in California and keeps its original 5th order Fresnel lens. The Keeper's quarters is one of only two surviving Gothic-style keeper's dwellings in the state.","narrative":"Yerba Buena Island Light Station sits on the southern slope of an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It includes an octagonal wood-frame lighthouse tower dated 1875, a fog-signal building, a Gothic Keeper's quarters built in 1873 and a concrete oil house from 1907. The tower carries Eastlake scrollwork and still holds its original 5th order Fresnel lens and a rare pear-shaped smoke chimney. It is the only freestanding wood lighthouse tower still operating in California. The station was established because ferry and railroad traffic between San Francisco and Oakland made the island a navigation hazard, especially in fog. The Keeper's quarters, originally a duplex, is one of only two surviving Gothic-style keeper's dwellings in the state. No modern buildings intrude on the complex. It was listed for its role in California maritime transportation and for its well-preserved late 19th century design.","period_of_significance":"1875-1940","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Stick/Eastlake; Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The tower is in excellent condition and its lens still operates. The Keeper's quarters is used as a single-family home by the Coast Guard district's Commanding Officer. The light was automated in 1958.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.635496-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91001096.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001096/5a74818236-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001096/5a74818236-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"HABS/San Francisco Chronicle Library","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yerba_Buena_Lighthouse_Buildings.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">HABS/San Francisco Chronicle Library</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yerba_Buena_Lighthouse_Buildings.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857780","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_Buena_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8052543"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-francisco/yerba-buena-island-lighthouse-91001096/"}