Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light, Art Deco lighthouse in Marquette, United States.
Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light is a 55-foot lighthouse at the offshore end of a breakwater extending from Presque Isle. It has a 32-by-32-foot concrete pier, an octagonal concrete first story with three windows and a door, and a three-story steel tower painted white with a red band. The Streamline Moderne structure shows curved pier sides that deflect waves.
In 1935 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began dredging Presque Isle Harbor and extending the 1897–1902 breakwater by about 1,600 feet. The U.S. Lighthouse Service announced an automated light for the new end in 1938; the breakwater was finished in 1939 and the lighthouse in 1941. Coast Guard crews from Marquette Harbor Light maintained it until the 1970s, when it was automated.
The structure displays Streamline Moderne design, a style that became popular for transportation buildings during the 1940s. These architectural features still shape how the harbor looks today and tell visitors about an era when modern design met practical function.
The lighthouse stands at the end of a breakwater extension and is partially visible from land, though it is mainly viewed from a distance. Visitors should know the structure is actively operating and cannot be entered, but it can be seen clearly from several vantage points around the harbor.
The concrete base pier measures 32 by 32 feet and rises about 14 feet above Lake Superior; its lake-facing sides curve outward at the top into a lip that deflects waves. Inside the octagonal superstructure are three rooms and a closet, with a ladder and ceiling opening leading up to the steel tower.
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