Some cities would enjoy claiming rights
to a single lighthouse. Santa Cruz enjoys two beautiful structures and
though the Walton Lighthouse is less known than its counterpart Santa
Cruz Lighthouse and Surfing Museum, it is noteworthy in its own right.
Standing on a hill above Seabright Beach, you can look south to a
manmade jetty where a beautiful, tall, white lighthouse stands. At the
risk of being chased out of town, BEACHCALIFORNIA.COM staff actually
find the Walton Lighthouse esthetically more pleasing.
Designed by Mark Mesiti-Miller and
constructed by Devcon Construction, Inc., in 2002, this structure
stands over 41 feet tall and weighs 350,000 pounds. Built to withstand a
quarter million pounds of wave energy, the lighthouse was designed
by an engineer with experience
that includes buildings, bridges, coastal structures and other public
and private facilities. Some of Mesiti-Miller's projects are: Visitor
Education Center for the Long Marine Laboratory; University of
California, Santa Cruz; the Watsonville Intermodal Transfer Facility
(downtown bus station); the Cabrillo College - Watsonville Center;
Roaring Camp's Bret Harte Hall Multi-Purpose Building; Oakwood Memorial
Chapel and Lodge; Pajaro Dunes Fire Station; Watsonville Intermodal
Transfer Facility; the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, UCSC;
Downtown Gonzales Beautification Project; the Plaza Park Renovation and
Santa Cruz Avenue Improvements for the Town of Los Gatos; the Upper
Village/Rosedale Street Improvements; City of Capitola; City Hall Site
Improvements for the City of Scotts Valley; and Hebbron Heights
Community Park, City of Salinas.
Devcon Construction,
Inc., is known throughout the region for
hundreds of building projects that include
Santa Clara University Residence, HallReno/Tahoe
Tech Center, Meridian Apartments at the Crossing, San Jose Civic Center,
Borders Books & Music, Marin City U.S.A., Bishop Ranch Plaza, McCarthy
Ranch Marketplace, 49er's Training Facility, Cinnabar Hills
Clubhouse and many more.
Located at the northern end of the
Monterey Bay, a lighthouse has graced the entrance to the Santa Cruz
Harbor for 40 years. Beginning in 1964, a box light structure stood on
the west jetty. It was replace by a cylinder nicknamed “the water
heater” from 1996 to 1999. Fundraising efforts to build something more
elegant in appearance were met with success and construction began with
a cylindrical inner core which houses electrical equipment and a
circular staircase of 42 steps which lead to the top of the lighthouse.
Surrounding the inner core is a network
of reinforcement rods shaped into a wall covered with shotcrete. Its
conical shape was hand-troweled. Topped with a copper roofed lantern,
its architecture defines the landscape in front of and behind it.
Mountains and hills in the distance and blue ocean surrounding the jetty
make this one of the loveliest lighthouse settings on the California
Coast.
The light station was dedicated on June 9, 2002 and was officially named
the Walton Lighthouse in honor of Charles Walton's late brother, Derek,
who served in the merchant marines. Charles Walton is a benefactor from
Los Gatos whose contributions helped make the project a reality. The
lighthouse is located at the end of Atlantic Avenue in Santa Cruz.
