Restoring the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: The 2023 Contract

Based on the National Park Service's September 2023 restoration update. Schedules described here were expectations at that time.

On September 25, 2023, the National Park Service awarded a $19.2 million contract to Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services, Inc., of North Brookfield, Massachusetts, to repair the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. Work was expected to start within months and to last about 18 months.

The work

The lighthouse

• rehabilitate the interior and restore the exterior, and repaint both;
• restore missing architectural features, including the pediments over the windows and interior doors;
• repair and repoint the masonry, remove corrosion and repair metal elements;
• remove the metal weight track inside;
• install a new, non-corroding railing on the lantern balcony;
• replace the rotating beacon and its metal platform with a replica of the original first-order Fresnel lens, the same size and appearance but lit with LEDs.

The grounds

• rehabilitate and repair the Oil House;
• replace the vinyl perimeter fence with a replica of the original (pre-1920) decorative metal octagonal fence on granite bases;
• build replica stockade fences around the Principal Keeper's Quarters and the Double Keepers' Quarters (Museum of the Sea) to match the landscape of the early historic period, 1870–1890s;
• add a walkway from the parking lot to improve circulation, wayfinding and interpretation;
• move the stones of the Keepers of the Light Amphitheater to help tell the story of the lighthouse keepers.

Why it matters

David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, called it one of the most significant efforts ever to repair and restore this American icon, a hallmark of the Hatteras Island community. More than two decades earlier the Seashore had moved the light station away from the encroaching ocean; the restoration continues that stewardship, returning the lighthouse's condition and its character-defining features to how they were in 1870, while landscape improvements make the visit more immersive.

For visitors

Scaffolding was expected to surround the lighthouse for much of the multi-year project, and climbing was not expected to reopen until summer 2026.

Sources

• National Park Service, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, "Hatteras Light Station Restoration Summary - September 2023": https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/sept-restoration.htm
• Restoration project page: https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/news/cape-hatteras-lighthouse-restoration-project.htm
• The NPS page's landscape rendering, credited to Croft and Associates, is not reproduced here.