# Port Washington Breakwater Light

- **Country:** United States
- **Region:** Wisconsin
- **Location Text:** Port Washington
- **Year Automated:** 1976
- **Year First Lit:** 1889 (Former) 1935 (Current)
- **Year Deactivated:** Active
- **Summary Written At:** 2026-10-19 02:34:41

The Port Washington Breakwater Light is a lighthouse perched at the end of the north breakwater that marks the entrance to the harbor of Port Washington, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan. It serves as an active aid to navigation for vessels entering the harbor and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

The present tower, erected in 1935, is an Art Deco structure set on a square base. It is built of steel plates sitting on a concrete foundation that extends from the breakwater. The light sits 78 ft above the lake surface and is equipped with a fourth‑order Fresnel lens.

The original light was a short wooden tower built in 1889 on the north pier, its beacon first lit that year. In the early 1930s, as part of a Works Progress Administration harbor improvement, the wooden tower was replaced by the current steel Art Deco tower, which began service in 1935. The aid was automated in 1976, ending the need for a resident keeper.

Today the lighthouse remains operational, its beacon continuing to guide lake traffic. Because it is automated, it requires no on‑site personnel, and it continues to mark the harbor entrance.

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Washington_Breakwater_Light (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)