Point Arena Light Station
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Why it's listed
Point Arena Light Station occupies about six acres at the very tip of Point Arena, where the land rises sixty feet above the Pacific on three sides. The district holds a wood fog signal station from 1870, a reinforced concrete lighthouse from 1908, and two stucco storage sheds from the same year; a small modern restroom does not contribute. Coastal traffic, especially lumber shipping, grew during the 1860s, and storms and fog caused ships to founder near the point. The fog signal station was the U.S. Lighthouse Service's first response. The original brick lighthouse collapsed in the 1906 earthquake. Its replacement, built by a San Francisco chimney maker, rose 115 feet and was the first reinforced concrete lighthouse in California. The circular stairway was kept from the 1870 tower, and the Fresnel lens was set in a vat of mercury. The structure has withstood every earthquake since 1908, and the light still operates.
Significance in brief: The station shows the federal government's effort to make shipping safer along the Mendocino Coast and into Arena Cove (criterion A). Its 1908 lighthouse was the first in California built of reinforced concrete, after the 1906 earthquake destroyed the earlier brick tower (criterion C).
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 90002189, listed July 16, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Lighthouse Rd., Point Arena |
|---|---|
| County | Mendocino County |
| Listed | July 16, 1991 |
| Reference number | 90002189 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1870-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Concrete Chimney Company |
| Architectural style | Other: Light Station |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The lighthouse still operates, and the district is in good condition with a high degree of integrity. The form also lists a current museum use. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 38.95504, -123.74118 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 90002189.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7207938
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.