A Beacon Worth Saving: Friends of the Point Vicente Lighthouse
On Saturday, January 10th, the Palos Verdes community was invited to rally around one of its most enduring symbols—our lighthouse on the edge of the Pacific.
Perched high above the coastline, the Point Vicente Lighthouse has stood watch since 1926, guiding commercial ships and recreational boaters safely through coastal waters. Night after night, its light still flashes—an active aid to navigation in a modern world dominated by GPS and radar. It is both a working maritime instrument and a beloved landmark, woven into the identity of the Peninsula.
Today, that legacy needs our care.
The mission of the Friends of the Point Vicente Lighthouse is clear and deeply rooted in stewardship: to restore and preserve the historic lighthouse and its support structures, ensuring safety, longevity, and public enjoyment for generations to come.
Recently, the Friends achieved two meaningful milestones. First, a dedicated committee of local residents was formed to spearhead a comprehensive fundraising effort aimed at restoring the lighthouse tower, three historic support buildings, and the three lighthouse keepers’ residences. Years of Coast Guard funding shortfalls have left these structures in disrepair—an outcome no community steward wishes to accept.
Second, the group met with local Coast Guard leadership and found shared urgency and alignment. The lighthouse remains operational, relied upon nightly by vessels navigating our coast. Its role is not symbolic alone—it is practical, essential, and ongoing.
Yet, despite its continued service, public access to the lighthouse interior is currently prohibited due to lead paint and asbestos within the tower.
That’s where the community comes in.
This effort is about more than preservation; it is about responsibility—to history, to safety, and to place. The Point Vicente Lighthouse is a pillar of Palos Verdes, a quiet guardian that has never stopped doing its job. Now, it is our turn to ensure it can continue shining.
Palos Verdes Pulse proudly supports this mission and invites readers to stand with the Friends of the Point Vicente Lighthouse—because some lights are simply too important to let fade.