Fresnel Lens

FIRST-ORDER FRESNEL LENS

The first-order Fresnel lens used at Piedras Blancas Light Station was constructed in France by Henri Lapaute in 1872. Fresnel lenses create a pattern of fixed and flashing lights with flat and curved panels of overlappping glass, which focus the light so it can be seen farther out to sea than allowed by lens designs in earlier lighthouses. A first-order lens is the largest of the six sizes of Fresnel lenses. A clockwork mechanism below the lens created the pattern of flashing light.

The Fresnel lens was placed in the newly-constructed lighthouse and first lit on February 15, 1875. As a seacoast light, the purpose was not to guide ships into harbor, but rather to warn mariners away from the rocky coast and give them a reference to determine their location. The unique light pattern was a fixed light varied by a single flash every 15 seconds, and during the day the lighthouse could be identified by its appearance, or daymark.

Black and white photo of conical lighthouse with black upper stories.

On December 31, 1948, an earthquake damaged the lighthouse, and the following year the decision was made to remove the top three stories of the lighthouse, including the lantern room with its lens. The historic lens was destined for storage, but members of the Cambria Lions Club received permission from the U.S. Coast Guard to install the lens in Cambria, where it was lit on the Pinedorado Grounds in 1951.

Sepia-toned lens with conical top, curved glass panels, and clockwork mechanism at the base.

In 1990, the newly-created Friends of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Lens started planning to build an enclosure to help protect the historic artifact. After disassembly and cleaning by the U.S. Coast Guard and the construction of a glass enclosure near the original site on the Pinedorado grounds, the lens was lit again in Cambria in 1994.

Glass enclosure surrounding a lens with conical top, curved glass panels, and clockwork base.

In 2018, the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association provided funding for an inspection by expert lampist Jim Woodward, who also trained volunteers on how to clean the lens.

A conical green lens and mechanism is wiped by two volunteers on ladders, with the glass enclosure surrounding them.

The Fresnel lens with its clockwork mechanism is still on display next to the Veterans Memorial Building in Cambria. However, the thirty-year-old enclosure has degraded over time and the roof has been damaged by recent storms. In 2022, a community forum discussed the best way to preserve the lens and concluded that repairing the structure was the best short-term solution.

A glass enclosure with the conical glass lens inside is surrounded by chainlink fence.

In 2023, the Pinedorado Lions Foundation entered a new contract with the U.S. Coast Guard, becoming the borrower of record and also paying for insurance for the lens. With additional generous donations from community organizations and individuals, and continuing support from the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association, work on repairing the enclosure has begun. However, additional damage has been found as the work progresses, and further funds will be needed to complete the project, as well as to pay for future structure and safety inspections and additional improvements to the enclosure.

A conical glass enclosure is covered in protective blue sheeting, while a man on top of a scissorjack works on the enclosure.

If you would like to help preserve this historic first-order Fresnel lens, please contribute to our GoFundMe.

Thank you to the Sponsors of the Lens Enclosure Repair Fund!
Cambria Tourism Board
San Simeon Tourism Alliance
Cambria Community Council
Pinedorado Lions Foundation
Piedras Blancas Light Station Assn.
and Generous Local Donors

​FIRST-ORDER FRESNEL LENS

FIRST-ORDER FRESNEL LENS