Keep the light on

The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse has stood guard in western Lake Erie since 1904. It could use a hand - and a little masonry, new windows and doors, and solar-powered utilities.

It's understandable that the distinct Romanesque structure looks unkempt after 106 years. But if it is to guide mariners in the future, renovation is in order. It's the least the region can do to preserve such a hard-working piece of area history.

Members of the nonprofit Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society hope to secure about $1.5 million in grant money to begin renovation next year. The society, which has owned the lighthouse for about three years, says the project is doable because the steel-frame lighthouse is in stable condition.

The four-story brick structure and attached one-story fog signal building were "built for permanence," said Gary Ashford of Duket Architects Planners in Toledo. He said the facility has "been untouched for 50 years, except for a little stabilizing work done 20 years ago."

The lantern room, topped with an onion dome, originally housed an unusual Fennel lens. It rotated by a weighted clockwork mechanism and could be seen from as far as 24 miles away. The penetrating beam guided ships delivering materials to the Port of Toledo.

Today, the huge lens is on display at Quilter Lodge at Maumee Bay State Park, but the old lighthouse is still alerting boaters and commercial vessels with an automated light and foghorn. Renovating the historic beacon at the mouth of Maumee Bay could take three to five years. But there's nothing else like it. With the generous help of the society and supporters, the lighthouse will continue to shine its light for decades to come.