CApe Henry (Second Tower) Light Station
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Why it's listed
Cape Henry's second lighthouse tower rises 163 feet above the south side of the Chesapeake Bay entrance, reached through Fort Story in Virginia Beach. Construction began in 1879 and the tower was turned over to its keeper on December 15, 1881. It consists of bolted cast-iron plates lined with brick or sheet iron on a granite foundation, topped by a black lantern holding a first-order Fresnel lens made in Paris in 1880. Black and white vertical stripes make the tower distinct from neighboring lighthouses. Inside, a tiled entry hall, Doric columns and a 207-step spiral stair show more ornament than most government utilitarian buildings. The tower was designed to be taken down and re-erected if needed, and it is described as the tallest cast-iron-plate lighthouse in the United States. The surrounding station includes keeper's dwellings, a brick oil house from 1892, a former fog signal building, a coal house and a 1935 fog signal testing laboratory. The lens still serves as an active aid to navigation.
Significance in brief: The tower is described as the tallest cast-iron-plate lighthouse in the United States. It is a prefabricated, bolted iron tower with unusually refined interior detailing for a government utilitarian structure. It still holds its original first-order Fresnel lens, which remains an active aid to navigation. The certifying agency recommended national significance.
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 02001439, listed December 2, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Atlantic Ave., Fort Story |
|---|---|
| County | Virginia Beach |
| Listed | December 2, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001439 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Metal work awarded to Morris, Tasker & Company of Philadelphia; A. A. McCullough of Norfolk contracted for the landing pier |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Areas of significance | Maritime History, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The first-order Fresnel lens continues to function as an active aid to navigation. Keeper's dwellings, a former fog signal building and a 1935 testing laboratory remain in use as housing, workshop, offices and storage. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 36.92675, -76.00633 (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.
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 02001439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q1034445
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.