What's up with the Port Pontchartrain lighthouse at the foot of Elysian Fields?
Blake Pontchartrain
Hey Blake,
What's up with the Port Pontchartrain lighthouse at the foot of Elysian Fields? It used to be part of Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park. Now it's sitting in a field.
A reader
Dear Reader,
Not much is happening with the building now. The area where the lighthouse stands and the lighthouse itself are part of the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park. For a while, there were plans to incorporate the land into the grounds of a lakefront hotel.
The lighthouse appears to be shorter than it used to be due to settling, but it is still in good condition.
In 1852, Congress voted $25,000 for harbor protection and $6,000 for a new lighthouse, which was begun and finished in 1855. The apparatus from the tower was replaced by a more powerful lens in 1857.
The shape of the lighthouse was changed when the top of the brick tower was flared out, and the height increased by 7 feet to make room for installation of a new lantern in 1880. At one time, the lighthouse was 2,100 feet offshore, but as a result of landfill projects it now stands on dry land.
Comments (1)
Showing 1-1 of 1
