Muskegon Lighthouses project progress

Progress is being made on the ownership transfer of the two Muskegon lighthouses – South Pierhead and South Break Water lighthouses – from the non-profit Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy to the City of Muskegon. The city recently engaged Sanders & Czapski Associates of Marquette, MI – an architectural firm which has done work on the Muskegon lighthouses – to assist the city in its National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act application to the National Park Service. It is hoped that the application will be filed with the park service by the end of the year and ownership transferred to the city in 2024.

The Fenton-based Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy due to a lack of organizational capacity asked the City of Muskegon early in 2023 to take ownership and long-term stewardship of the two lighthouses at the city’s Pere Marquette Park. The Muskegon City Commission in May 2023 agreed to the concept of city ownership of the lighthouses and directed staff to bring a final plan back to the commission.

In the meantime, the City of Muskegon is the fiduciary of an $800,000 Michigan Economic Development grant for the rehabilitation of the South Break Wall Lighthouse, which is in critical need of repair. The city and the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy have worked together to get the rehabilitation work underway. The Conservancy reports that a West Michigan historic preservation contractor, which has worked on numerous Lake Michigan lighthouses including the Muskegon structures, has the ability to start the first phase of the needed work yet this fall. City staff is working on getting the renovation of the lighthouse base done before winter.

Finally, the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy and the local Friends of Muskegon Lights continue to seek volunteers to help with tours of the South Pierhead Lighthouse and staffing its gift shop.