New Canal Light

New Canal Light

The 1890/1901 structure.
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
Year first constructed	1838
Year first lit	1890 (last lighthouse) 2005 (current pole light)
Automated	Yes
Deactivated	Lighthouse severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina 2005
Foundation	Pile with platform
Construction	Wood
Tower shape	Square tower on top of house
Markings / pattern	White with red roof
Focal height	Lighthouse: 49 ft (15m) Current pole light: 15 ft(5m)
Original lens	5th order Fresnel lens
Characteristic	Lighthouse: Occulting White 5s Current pole light: Fl 2 White 5s
Fog signal	Previous: Bell, every ten seconds
ARLHS number	USA-556
USCG number	4-9992 [1] [2] [3]
New Canal Lighthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	West End Blvd. and Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates:	30°1′37.76″N 90°6′47.55″W / 30.0271556°N 90.1132083°W / 30.0271556; -90.1132083Coordinates: 30°1′37.76″N 90°6′47.55″W / 30.0271556°N 90.1132083°W / 30.0271556; -90.1132083
Built:	1890
Architect:	New Orleans Canal and Banking Co.
Governing body:	US Coast Guard
NRHP Reference#:	85003186 [4]
Added to NRHP:	December 30, 1985

The New Canal Light was first established in 1838 at the north end of the New Basin Canal which ran between Lake Ponchartrain and the Mississippi River. The canal was filled in around 1950, but the light remained active until severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It has been replaced by a light on a pole while efforts are underway to restore the house.

History

The original light was built in 1838 on a foundation of sheet piling filled in with shells. The tower was octagonal, built of cypress, about 28 feet (9 m) high. The tower deteriorated badly and was replaced in 1855 with a square wood dwelling on screw piles with an iron lantern and a 5th order Fresnel lens. In 1890 the structure was again replaced, with the light being raised to 49 feet (15 m). The 1890 structure was substantially rebuilt in 1901. It was damaged by hurricanes in 1903, 1915, 1926, and 1927. It was moved to its current location in 1910. After the 1927 damage it was raised on new concrete piers and in 1936, the breakwater surrounding it was filled in, putting land under the structure for the first time. From the 1960s through 2001 there was a USCG station at the site.^[2] The building was partly destroyed by Katrina in 2005, with only the upper portion remaining intact. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation has disassembled and stored the remains of the building and is raising money to restore it.^[5]

The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as New Canal Lighthouse.^[4]

Wikimedia Commons has many images showing the lighthouse before and after Katrina.

The 1855 lighthouse  After Katrina, before collapse  After collapse

References

1. ^ (PDF) Light List, Volume IV, Gulf of Mexico. Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 83. http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lightLists/LightList%20V4.pdf. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Louisiana". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHLA.asp. 
3. ^ Rowlett, Russ (2010-01-10). "Lighthouses of Louisiana". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/la.htm. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
5. ^ "New Canal Lighthouse". Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. http://www.saveourlake.org/lighthouse.htm. Retrieved 10 January 2010. ^{[dead link]}