A shining beacon once again

The restoration of Port Washington’s iconic lighthouse is complete, and the city will mark the occasion with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5.

“The lighthouse is more than a landmark —it is a reflection of who we are as a city — resilient, forward looking and deeply connected to our waterfront,” Mayor Ted Neitzke, who championed the project, said.

City Administrator Melissa Gossett agreed, saying, “Our lighthouse is a point of pride not only for residents but also for visitors who travel from across the region to experience Port Washington’s charm.”

Neitzke noted the $2.6 million project was a collaboration between the city, preservation experts and others, with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation awarding the city a $2.2 million Transportation Alternative Program grant.

The remainder of the funding is coming from the city’s 2025 budget. 

“Completing this project is a powerful example of how public investment in heritage infrastructure strengthens both our identity and our local economy,” Gossett said.

Repairs to the lighthouse have been ongoing since spring, and for much of the summer the structure was shrouded in scaffolding and a black tarp as crews worked to restore its rusty looking appearance to pristine white and repair the portholes and concrete arched base on which the metal structure stands.

The work was, as Neitzke said, “putzy,” with crews from TMI Coatings Inc. scraping the lead-based paint and containing it so it wouldn’t pollute the water, cleaning rust and lichen, replacing broken portholes and repairing portions of the concrete and steel.   

The lighthouse has been a symbol of the city for decades, a navigational fixture that has been used by both government and businesses in their logos.

But it had fallen into disrepair since the city acquired it from the federal government in 2018 despite a city pledge to maintain the structure.

The lighthouse, which was built for $38,000 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, consists of a metal Art Deco tower that rests on a 20-foot-square cement base that has served as a symbol of Port Washington, used on everything from the city’s logo to postcards, since it was constructed in 1935.