“The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse is hidden in plain sight, resting in Lake Michigan at the extremity of the northern breakwater, about half a mile from the end of Navy Pier.
“‘Our biggest concern is that no one knows why it’s there or what it’s there for,’ says Kurt Lentsch, who started the nonprofit Friends of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse to bring it back to life. ‘It’s been in the background of our memories for our generation, for 100-plus years.’
“The lighthouse was originally built in 1893 against the backdrop of the World’s Columbian Exposition. In 1917, officials decided to move it to its current location.
“The Coast Guard operates the actual light as an active aid to navigation, but the station is in a state of disrepair. According to an assessment report, it’s rusted, crumbling and gutted.
“Lentsch, a longtime recreational boater, was spurred to action in 2022 amid worries that the property could be put up for auction, potentially ending up in private hands.
“He was determined to keep the historic landmark public. His volunteer organization is awaiting final approval to take over the property from the city of Chicago to repurpose it as an accessible visitor center. The group envisions it as an extension of the nearby Loop’s Museum Campus — a tourist attraction with a major focus on local education.
“‘The goal is to turn the museum into a classroom on the lakefront, to really teach kids programming out at the light — from a lighthouse perspective, from engineering, to weather, to water sampling,’ Lentsch says.
“The pending stewardship change is possible through the federal government’s National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, which has allowed local entities and nonprofits to commit to saving outdated light stations across the country.
“Lentsch says helping the public better understand the area’s rich maritime heritage is a major reason why people want to save these beacons.
“‘I want people to go and visit it. Turn around, look at the city of Chicago and love the view that I loved.” (Riordan, WBEZ Chicago, 4/8/26)