Renovations being carried out at Marblehead Lighthouse

MARBLEHEAD — One of the area's most iconic tourist attractions is shut down for renovations.The Marblehead Lighthouse at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park was closed for tours Sept. 3 and work to restore it began.Tours usually shut down, anyway, after Labor Day. But the work means the lighthouse will not be open for tours during the 24th Annual Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival on Oct. 12, although other attractions at the park will be open, including the museum and the lifesaving station.Work is expected to last about two months, so for some weeks this fall the view of one of Ohio's most-photographed landmarks will be altered by extensive scaffolding as workers labor to fix up the lighthouse, said Mike Monnett, park manager at East Harbor State Park, which runs the lighthouse park.The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is spending about $170,000 of capital funds to renovate the lighthouse. Work was last done in 2001, so it's time, Monnett said."With its close proximity to the water, the amount of moisture, it's a pretty harsh environment for any structure," he said.The work on the lighthouse is being done by Grunwell-Cashero, which is based in Michigan with offices in Toledo and Cleveland and which specializes in building restoration.Scaffolding has been put up around the lighthouse.Stucco on the outside of the lighthouse is being repaired and the tower will be repainted from top to bottom, Monnett said.Mortar in the brickwork around the windows will be repaired, the windows will be reglazed and interior electrical work will be carried out, including new grounding and lights.According to the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, the Marblehead Lighthouse was built in 1821 and is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation in the Great Lakes.Monnett said during the just-completed summer season, 23,500 people toured the lighthouse, climbing to the top of the structure.But the number who take a tour is dwarfed by visitors who come to the park year round to gaze at the lighthouse and take pictures of it.James Proffitt, author of the book "Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie: Ohio's Historic Beacon," said in an interview with the Register in 2015 that Marblehead Lighthouse draws a huge number of people to the area."Hundreds of thousands visit the lighthouse annually, including many from distant states and abroad. It truly is an economic engine for the peninsula and surrounding communities," Proffitt said.Proffitt told the Register many people across the country love lighthouses."I have met people whose sole purpose on vacations is to visit lighthouses, including some of the smaller, drabber and far less picturesque lighthouses than Marblehead. As far as lighthouses go, Marblehead is considered an ultra-premium site," he said."There are two main reasons the lighthouse is so popular. The first is that it is exactly what most people think of when they envision a lighthouse: a tall, tapered structure, white with an aesthetically pleasing lantern perched atop its height, and sitting on a scenic concoction of stone jutting into water, right out of a fairy tale," he explained. "Secondly, it is one of the few lighthouses that is truly accessible, and thus truly public."Some of the most popular photos of the park have been taken in the winter, when snow surrounds the lighthouse."That park is popular 365 days a year," Monnett said.The Marblehead Lighthouse is currently closed for renovations.The Marblehead Lighthouse at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is closed for renovations. The work is expected to take about two months.Scaffolding wraps around the Marblehead Lighthouse for renovations on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.Scaffolding wraps around the Marblehead Lighthouse for renovations on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.