Description of Historic Place

The Front Range Lighthouse is prominently situated at the end of a water swept concrete pier, one of a pair of lighthouses that forms the harbour entrance at Port Dalhousie, Lake Ontario. It is a sturdy, square, wooden lighthouse with a substantial bracketed platform enclosed by a pipe railing and crowned by an octagonal metal lantern. The windows are flush with the wall surface. Decorated with a pediment, the entranceway extends from the exterior wall. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Front Range Lighthouse is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
The Front Range Lighthouse is a good example of a building associated with the establishment of navigational aids on the Great Lakes. Constructed in the 1870s-1880s, to meet the needs of the new steamships plying the lakes, the Front Range Lighthouse was built to serve the third Welland Canal. Along with the Rear Range Lighthouse, located 300 feet (91.5 meters) away, it formed a dual-light system to guide ships on Lake Ontario and those entering the canal or the port. While the rear light is no longer operational, the front light continues to serve recreational boaters.

Architectural Value:
The Front Range Lighthouse is valued for its good aesthetics. The Front Range Lighthouse is one of a number of square wooden towers built on the Great Lakes in the nineteenth century. A simple design, they were economical to construct and easy to maintain. The simplicity of the profile is accentuated by the minimal detailing. The Lighthouse exhibits good functional design. Good craftsmanship is evidenced in the diagonal boarding of the interior.

Environmental Value:
The Front Range Lighthouse is compatible with the maritime character of its exposed pier setting. The Lighttower is well known and is a conspicuous regional landmark.

Sources:
Marilyn E. Armstrong Reynolds, Front and Rear Range lighthouses (2 Buildings) East Pier, Port Dalhousie, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Report 88-103; Front Range Lighthouse, Port Dalhousie, St Catherines, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement 88-103.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Front Range Lighthouse should be respected.

Its good aesthetics and functional design and very good craftsmanship, for example: the simple design, profile and low massing of the square, tapered tower with an octagonal lantern; the wood-frame construction; the weatherboard exterior; the trim details such as the substantial, bracketed platform and the gallery handrail; the placement of windows and doors; the entranceway built out from the exterior wall and decorated with a pediment; the interior with its early diagonal boarding and steep wooden staircase.

The manner in which the Front Range Lighthouse is compatible with the maritime character of its exposed pier setting, and is a familiar regional landmark for maritime traffic as evidenced by: its form and materials, which complement its pier end/ harbour maritime setting; its high visibility and specialized role, which make it a familiar regional landmark to maritime traffic and to those visiting Michigan Beach.

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.

The Port Dalhousie Front Range Lighthouse was built in 1879 to a design by the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The light was automated in 1968, and continues to operate. The Canadian Coast Guard is the custodian. See FHBRO Building Report 88-103.

Reasons For Designation

The Front Range Lighthouse was designated Recognized primarily as a result of its historical association with the Third Welland Canal, and also for its landmark status.

The provision of a canal system connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie began in the 1820s and evolved over the following century. The first three canal routes began at Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario, although the fourth (current) route no longer does so. The Front Range Lighthouse was built to serve the third canal, constructed in the 1870s-1880s to meet the needs of the new steamships plying the lakes. Along with the Rear Range Lighthouse located 300 feet away, it formed a dual-light system to guide ships on Lake Ontario and those entering the canal or the port. While the rear light is no longer operational, the front light continues to serve recreational boaters.

The Front Range Lighthouse is one of a number of square wooden towers built on the Great Lakes in the nineteenth century. They were economical to construct and easy to maintain. The Lighthouse occupies the end of one of a pair of concrete piers which extend into Lake Ontario and form the harbour entrance. Visible from the water and from several vantage points on land, the Lighthouse is a well-known local landmark. It is used on postcards and in local histories to symbolize the historic Port Dalhousie area.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of the Front Range Lighthouse resides in its profile, materials and construction, and in the nature of its setting.

The forty-five foot high square, tapered tower supports the original octagonal lantern on a substantial, bracketed platform. This characteristic shape should be maintained without additions or alterations.

Originally, the tower was clad in horizontal wood siding, and was embellished with a wide frieze and a bracketed gallery enclosed by a decorative wood railing. The projecting pedimented entrance originally framed a glazed and panelled door with a three-light transom above, while rectangular windows, one on each facade, were set flush with the walls. Following modifications to the exterior, the lighthouse currently presents the spare functional form of a beacon. The tower walls, including the window openings, are covered with aluminum siding, and the door is boarded over. The original platform railing has been replaced by a pipe railing. Restoration to the original appearance, based on pictorial, documentary and physical evidence, would enhance the character of the lighthouse and the area. This would entail reinstatement of the original railing, removal of the aluminum siding, and restoration or replacement of the historic cladding material, windows and door.

The interior retains early diagonal boarding and steep wooden staircase. Care should be taken to maintain and preserve these elements.

The lighthouse, alone at the end of the east pier, dominates its setting. The concrete pier has been extended to surround the lighthouse to protect it from high waves; this does not alter the nature of the site. The exposed maritime character of the site should be preserved. Development along both piers should be restricted.