City of Kewaunee, 401 Fifth Street, Kewaunee, WI 54216
920-388-5000
info@cityofkewaunee.org
As best described in the National Register nomination documents, the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse consists of a
rectangular two-story building approximately 40 feet long by 15 feet wide with and integral light tower and lantern.
This building was originally constructed in 1909 as a building to house fog signal machinery and living quarters for
keepers. A light tower was added in 1931, converting it into a lighthouse. This aid to navigation sits atop the offshore
end of the south pier at the mouth of the Kewaunee River. The south pier extends eastward approximately 0.25 mile
from shore into Lake Michigan. It is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and is part of the Kewaunee
harbor navigation structures. The south pier is a 26 feet wide concrete pier which the USACE improved upon in the
early 1900’s to protect, strengthen and replace the late nineteenth century wooden crib structures.
The lighthouse's concrete foundation sits atop the south pier's offshore end. It is rectangular and built of reinforced
concrete. The foundation is approximately 40 feet long by 15 feet wide by 4 feet tall. The lighthouse superstructure
sits flush atop the foundation. It includes the original two-story fog signal building and an integral light tower and
lantern. The superstructure is painted white.
The first story is sheathed with metal plates except for a wooden double door entrance on the western side and
window openings on the north and south sides. These metal plates are a structural component of the Lighthouse and
would have been added during the conversion to a Lighthouse in 1931. The entrance is accessed from a 6-step metal
stairway on the south pier's deck next to the lighthouse's western side. This stairway leads up to a metal landing in
front of the doorway. The first story includes two windows on the north side and one on the south side. These are
rectangular and approximately 2 feet by 2 feet in dimension. There is a former rectangular window opening on the
south side fitted with a vent. This side of the lighthouse is also pierced with a doorway fitted with a metal door
approximately 5 feet tall by 3 feet wide.
The second story exterior is clad with shingles painted white. Its massing is divided into three bays oriented north--
south. A north-south cross gable occupies the western one-third. This has a tripartite window under the north gable
and another under the south gable. For both, the left and right casements are covered. Only the center casement
holds sash and glazing. This cross gable is pierced on the west side with a centered doorway beneath a gablet. The
doorway is now covered with shingles. It formerly provided access to an elevated walkway that has been demolished.
A similar cross gable occupies the second story's eastern one-third. Its north and south gables have tripartite windows
identical to the western cross gable. A rectangular window pierces the cross gable's eastern side, but its opening is
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