Name and Location

The Alki Point Lighthouse, also known as the Alki Point Light Station, is located at 3201 Alki Avenue Southwest in the West Seattle neighborhood of King County, Washington, USA. Its official name is Alki Point Lighthouse.

Construction and History

The initial light station was established in 1887, with the current tower built by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1913. The lighthouse replaced a lens lantern atop a skeletal wooden tower. It became an automated aid to navigation in the mid-20th century (circa 1960s) and has been continuously operating since 1913.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse was designed by U.S. Lighthouse Service engineers in a functional early-20th-century government style, with modest classical proportions. The structure is built from reinforced concrete and features a one-story keeper's dwelling (with the dormer removed in the 1930s). The tower is cylindrical, tapering slightly toward the lantern room, and painted white.

Light and Navigation

The Alki Point Lighthouse is a major navigational light with a characteristic of flashing white every 5 seconds. The original lens was a fourth-order Fresnel lens, replaced by a modern optic. The nominal range is 16 nautical miles, and the operation is automated electric light with solar-powered backup.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse grounds are open to the public via Alki Avenue SW sidewalk and Alki Beach Park walking paths. However, the tower and buildings are fenced and locked, offering excellent panoramic views of the Seattle skyline, Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier, and shipping channels.

Notable Views and Landscape

Visitors can enjoy stunning views from the lighthouse grounds, including the Seattle skyline, Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Puget Sound and Elliott Bay waters.

Anecdotes and Folklore

The name "Alki" derives from Chinook Jargon, meaning "by and by" or "hopeful," given by 1850 settlers to signify future aspirations for the settlement that became Seattle. Rumored shipwrecks off Alki Point in 1887 led to the establishment of the first lantern station.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation, with maintenance carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 02-13, Puget Sound Chapter.

Further Information

For more information on the Alki Point Lighthouse, visit the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary website at http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=130-02&category=alki-pt-lighthouse.