West Point Light facts for kids
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 West Point Light
Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | Seattle, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 47°39′42″N 122°26′08″W / 47.66167°N 122.43556°W |
| Year first constructed | 1881 |
| Year first lit | 1881 |
| Automated | 1985 |
| Foundation | Natural/emplaced |
| Construction | Brick with stucco |
| Tower shape | Square |
| Markings / pattern | White |
| Focal height | |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Range | White 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi), Red 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) |
| Characteristic | Alt WR 10s |
| Fog signal | Horn: 1 every 10s, activated for 30 minutes by keying a mike 5 times on VHF channel 78A |
| USCG number | 6-16800 |
The West Point Light, also known as the Discovery Park Lighthouse, is an active aid to navigation on Seattle, Washington's West Point, which juts into Puget Sound and marks the northern extent of Elliott Bay. The lighthouse is similar in design to the Point No Point Light and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is a main feature of Seattle's Discovery Park.
History
The 23-foot-high (7.0 m) lighthouse began operation on November 15, 1881, using a fourth-order Fresnel lens. It was the first manned light station on Puget Sound, built at a cost of $25,000 ($760 thousand in today dollars). It was illuminated with a kerosene lamp for its first 44 years, until it was attached to Seattle's electric grid in 1926. It became automated in 1985, the last station in Washington to do so.
Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, in early 2003, Seattle's Department of Parks and Recreation applied to the United States Department of the Interior to take custody of the lighthouse from the U.S. Coast Guard and incorporate it into Discovery Park. The city was granted the property in October 2004.
Included in the transfer of the property was the station's original 4th order Fresnel Lens. Upon signing over of the deed, the Coast Guard extinguished the original lighting system and replaced it with a modern Vega Rotating Beacon (VRB-25). The light retains its original characteristic of alternating red and white flashes every five seconds.
A $600,000 restoration project, undertaken in 2009, saw exterior work completed in 2010, and restoration of the keeper's quarters finished in 2011.
