E side of Island, Mona Island, Puerto Rico. County/parish: Mayaguez.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places October 22, 1981. NRIS 81000689.
Part of Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR (NRIS 64000743).
1 contributing structure.Also known as:
Mona Island Light, also known as Faro de la Isla de la Mona, is a historic lighthouse located on the island of Mona, Puerto Rico, in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It is the only lighthouse built of iron and steel in Puerto Rico. While some sources reported that the structure was designed by Gustav Eiffel, who also designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, recent studies have shown that the tower was designed around 1885 by Spanish engineer Rafael Ravena.
It is the first of two lighthouses built by the U.S. government in Puerto Rico.
It was first lit in 1900 and automated in 1973. In 1976, the light was deactivated and replaced by a modern beacon. The structure has deteriorated severely since deactivation. The lighthouse is listed in "Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear" and Lighthouse Digest magazine described the condition of the lighthouse as dire: "This lighthouse has to be among the most endangered in the U.S. – along with being one of the most isolated – rusting away in the tropical heat and humidity."
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/131518265