Point Lighthouse

Miniature #3 – Constructed 08/2023

Fun Facts

Lighthouses are iconic structures on Cape Cod that have been guiding ships safely into port for centuries. They continue to play an important role in maritime navigation today. Some were built with granite blocks from nearby quarries. While many of 14 lighthouses are now inactive, several are open to the public for Cape Cod lighthouse tours of some of the best lighthouses in Massachusetts.

The first lighthouse on Cape Cod was built in 1797.

The tallest lighthouse on Cape Cod is Nauset Light, which stands at 49 feet tall.

The oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod is the Highland Lighthouse, which was built in 1857.

Description

This was my first attempt at using polystyrene foamboard to form the granite blocks on the exterior of the lighthouse. I was pleased with the outcome and its authentic appearance.

The lighthouse sits on a 12″x12″ plywood base. The overall piece stands at 15.5″ high and the time invested to design and build was approximately 60 hrs.

Materials Used

Foamboard blocks were cut individually with an Exacto knife and attached to the 3mm thick craft plywood underlay cut into the desired lighthouse shape. Each block was attached one at a time with glue and gently depressed with a lava rock from my yard to make indentations, which resulted in a true rock-like appearance.

The top of the lighthouse was created using a combination of a plastic solo cup, Styrofoam cup, PVC elbow, round wooden dowels, and a golf tee as the lightening rod. The platform at the top of the lighthouse, known as the “gallery”, was made from craft plywood, round wooden dowels, and thin wire, all painted black with acrylic paint.

The entrance building attached to the lighthouse itself was made from bamboo coffee stirrers. The lighthouse roof and the entrance building were roofed with black cardstock paper sprayed with textured spray paint.

A slab of Styrofoam was sprayed with textured paint and carved to look like a granite slab as support for the lighthouse. The ocean was created using toilet paper for waves, acrylic paint to resemble seaweed, and multiple layers of clear coat to form the ocean.

Lights were added to the interior of the lighthouse and beacon on the top as an important part of the lighthouse’s function to guide ships into port at night.