Description of Historic Place

The Gabarus Light Tower is a hexagonal, tapered, wooden light tower that is topped by a hexagonal, metal-and-glass lantern. The design of the light tower includes a wood-frame structure, a straight cornice, a railed gallery, contrasting white and red colours and a gable-roofed entrance vestibule projecting from the wall and displaying. The light tower is found in an isolated area on the sparsely populated, rugged coastline of Cape Breton. It sits on a small hill overlooking the harbour at the entrance of Gabarus Bay near the small village of Gabarus. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Gabarus Light Tower is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value
The Gabarus Light Tower is a useful illustration of the theme of navigational aid in Canadian waters. It is a medium harbour light with a range of eight nautical miles. Located at the entrance to Gabarus Harbour, it guides small fishing boats and recreational boaters through the shallow waters of the channel leading into the harbour. Built circa 1890, the Gabarus Light Tower is a very good illustration of the prosperity of Gabarus at the end of the 19th century. Today, the light tower continues to serve a broad community comprised of several villages within a 24-kilometer radius.

Architectural value
The Gabarus Light Tower is a good surviving example of wooden, tapered light towers with hexagonal configurations. It is well proportioned, and despite the loss of some of its original detailing and the addition of vinyl siding, it retains good visual qualities. Built to a standard plan prepared by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, its simple plan reveals good functional quality. With its sturdy construction, the light tower reveals good quality craftsmanship and materials, having withstood the natural elements over an extended period of time.

Environmental value
The presence of the Gabarus Light Tower in a remote and natural landscape reinforces the maritime character of the area. Set on a rocky coastline in a sparsely populated region, it is surrounded by glacial till, sands and gravel. The relationship between the light tower and its site has been retained. Due to its prominent location, the light tower is visible from various points in the village of Gabarus. It is a well-known reference point for the local community and a familiar landmark for the small-scale fishers and recreational boaters who use this area.

Sources: Elizabeth Butler, Gabarus Lighthouse, Gabarus Bay, Nova Scotia, Federal Heritage Building Report, 05-205; Heritage Character Statement, 05-205.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Gabarus Light Tower should be respected.

Features that illustrate the theme of navigational aid in Canadian waters, notably: its standard-plan light tower design; its continued use as a medium harbour light; its location at the entrance to Gabarus Harbour.

Its good aesthetic design, functional design, and good quality of craftsmanship and materials, as manifested in: its good proportions and simple massing, characterized by a hexagonal base, tapered walls, and a straight cornice supporting a railed gallery and a hexagonal lantern; its gable-roofed entrance vestibule projecting from the wall; its simple functional plan and sturdy construction; the use of white colour for the shaft and red colour for the roof and lantern; the use of durable materials such as a wooden framing and siding, and a metal-and-glass lantern.

The manner in which it reinforces the maritime character of the area and functions as a reference point for the local community, as evidenced in: its prominent location on a small hill overlooking the harbour at Gabarus Bay; its isolated siting, facing the shoreline on three sides, set apart from the village of Gabarus and accessible by a gravel road; its visibility from various points in the village of Gabarus.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

Description of Historic Place

The Gabarus Lighttower consists of a hexagonal, tapered, wooden lighttower, topped by a hexagonal, metal-and-glass lantern.The design of the lighttower includes a wood-frame structure, a straight cornice, a railed gallery, a gable-roofed entrance vestibule projecting from the wall and displaying contrasting white and red colours. The lighttower is set in an isolated area on the sparsely populated, rugged coastline of Cape Breton. The tower sits on a small hill overlooking the harbour at the entrance of Gabarus Bay near the small village of Gabarus. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Gabarus Lighttower is a “Recognized” Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value:
The Gabarus Lighttower is a useful example of the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters. As a medium harbour light with a range of eight nautical miles located at the entrance to Gabarus Harbour, it guides small fishing boats and recreational boaters through the shallow waters of the channel leading into the harbour. Built in ca.1890, the Gabarus Lighttower is a very good example to illustrate the prosperity of Gabarus at the end of the 19th century. Today, the lighttower continues to serve a broad community comprised of several villages within a 24-kilometer radius.

Architectural value:
The Gabarus Lighttower is a good example of the few surviving kind of wooden, tapered, lighttower with a hexagonal configuration. The lighttower presents good proportions, and despite the lost of some of its original detailing and the addition of vinyl siding, it retains good visual qualities. Built to a standard plan prepared by the Department of Marine and Fisheries, its simple plan reveals good functional quality. With its sturdy construction, the lighttower reveals good quality of craftsmanship and materials, and has withstood the natural elements over an extended period.

Environmental value:
The presence of the Gabarus Lighttower in a remote and natural landscape reinforces the maritime character of the area. Set on a rocky coastline in a sparsely populated region, it is surrounded by glacial till, sands and gravel. This relationship between the lighttower and its site has been retained. Due to its prominent location, the lighttower is visible from various points in the village of Gabarus. The lighttower is a well-known reference point for the local community and a familiar landmark for the small-scale fishers and recreational boaters who use this area.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Gabarus Lighttower should be respected:

Features that illustrate the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters, notably:
- Its standard-plan lighttower design;
- Its continuing use as a medium harbour light; and,
- Its location at the entrance to Gabarus Harbour.

Its good aesthetic design, good functional design, and good quality of craftsmanship and materials, as manifested in:
- Its good proportions and simple massing, characterized by a hexagonal base, tapered walls, and a straight cornice supporting a railed gallery and a hexagonal lantern;
- Its gable-roofed entrance vestibule projecting from the wall;
- Its simple functional plan and sturdy construction;
- The use of white colour for the shaft and red colour for the roof and lantern; and,
- The use of durable materials such as a wood framing and siding and a metal-and-glass lantern.

The manner in which it reinforces the maritime character of the area and functions as a reference point for the local community, as evidenced in:
- Its prominent location on a small hill overlooking the harbour at Gabarus Bay;
- Its isolated siting, facing the shoreline on three sides, set apart from the village of Gabarus and accessible by a gravel road; and,
- Its visibility from various points in the village of Gabarus.