Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo

Faro Los Morrillos
Faro Los Morrillos
Location Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Coordinates 17°56′01.2″N 67°11′31.9″W / 17.933667°N 67.192194°W / 17.933667; -67.192194Coordinates: 17°56′01.2″N 67°11′31.9″W / 17.933667°N 67.192194°W / 17.933667; -67.192194
Year first lit 1882
Automated 1967
Foundation Stone
Construction Stone
Tower shape Hexagonal
Original lens Third Order, Fresnel 1882
ARLHS number

PUR-002

Faro de los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo
Architectural style Neoclassic
MPS Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP Reference # 81000685 [1]

Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, also known as Los Morrillos Light, is a historic lighthouse located in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

History

Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Puerto Rico, this lighthouse was constructed in 1882 in order to guide passing ships through the southeast entrance from the Caribbean Sea through the treacherous Mona Passage into the Atlantic Ocean. The lighthouse is located over a white lime cliff which is surrounded by salt water lagoons and marshes. The cliffs surrounding the lighthouse drop over 200 feet into the ocean.

The lighthouse's architecture is distinguished by its simplicity, with minimal decoration and an unelaborated cornice repeated through the structure. The illuminating apparatus is housed in a cast-iron, copper and glass lantern. The lenticular lens was manufactured by the French firm Sautter, Lemonnier and Company.

Originally, the lighthouse was manned by two keepers and an engineer, who lived on the grounds with their families. In 1967 the lighthouse was renovated and its operation is currently completely automated. The structure itself has been abandoned for decades, although recent the local government as well as local civic groups, such as Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente, are pushing towards turning the old lighthouse keeper's house into a museum. The project was taken over by the municipality, an action that lost U.S. Federal government funds that had been assigned for it. The municipality took over the renovations, which, according to critics, has irrevocably damaged the historical significance of the internal structure.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Inventory of Historic Light Stations National Park Service". Retrieved 2009-03-27.

External links

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