St. George Reef Light Station
Why it's listed
Perched on Northwest Seal Rock, the outermost rock of St. George Reef, this granite lighthouse rises 146 feet above mean high water from an oval masonry pier roughly six miles off Point St. George. Construction ran from 1883 to 1891, slowed by scarce funding and severe seas, and used over 14,000 tons of stone. The total cost approached $726,000. The light first operated in August 1892 with a First Order Fresnel lens. Life at the station was hard: a keeper died in 1893 while landing, and storms repeatedly damaged equipment. It is listed as one of two wave-swept towers on the Pacific Coast, a type built to withstand the full force of the sea, and for its unusual square stone form. The station was disestablished in 1975, when the lens went to a Crescent City museum. Interiors were altered in 1955, but the exterior remains well preserved.
Significance in brief: The station is significant under Criterion A for reflecting California's reliance on maritime transportation and the navigation aids that supported it. Under Criterion C, it is one of two wave-swept towers on the Pacific Coast and one of few in the United States, culminating a line of marine engineering that began with the Eddystone towers. Its square stone tower is also an unusual design.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93001373, listed December 9, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW Seal Rock, approximately 6 nautical mi. off coast from Point St. George, Crescent City |
|---|---|
| County | Del Norte County |
| Listed | December 9, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93001373 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1867-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Office of the Light-House Engineer, Twelfth District |
| Architectural style | Other: lighthouse/utilitarian; wave-swept tower |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Maritime History, Transportation, Engineering, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The station was disestablished in 1975 and the Fresnel lens was removed. Interiors were remodeled in 1955 with loss of integrity, while the exterior of the tower and pier retains a high degree of integrity. Current function is listed as vacant/not in use. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.83702, -124.37658 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93001373.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7588222
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.