Shutters Return Pomham Rocks Lighthouse to Turn of the Century Look
If you walk down the East Bay Bike Path, you will notice a dramatic change to the exterior of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. The 150-year-old light station off the coast of Riverside, RI, is now adorned with historically accurate shutters on all its windows. Thanks to grants from the United States Lighthouse Society, The 1772 Foundation/Preserve RI and Rhode Island Foundation, shutters were custom fabricated for all three levels of The Lighthouse. They were primed, painted and installed with operable hardware the end of November by master craftsmen from Abcore Restoration Company.
Bob Trapani, president of the American Lighthouse Foundation, of which Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is a chapter, notes that “the return of nineteen historically accurate shutters to both adorn and protect the 1871 lighthouse is yet another vital goal for the long-term preservation of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse,” adding that funding made “a real difference with a lighthouse project that is without question one of the crown jewels in the national lighthouse preservation community.”
Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse sought to return the exterior of The Lighthouse to its appearance in its early years. Shutters were a common feature of Victorian era homes, and vintage photographs show shutters on Pomham in open and closed positions. As was the tradition at the time, the shutters were painted green. Abcore Restoration Company installed the shutters and painted them a matching Essex Green HC-188 from Benjamin Moore’s historical collection. The deep green shutters create a sharp contrast to the bright white exterior of The Lighthouse and its original decorative scrollwork surrounding the windows.
What is not visible from the outside is the completion of another project to facilitate installation of shutters on the building. With assistance from a grant from The Champlin Foundation, all metal exterior storm windows were removed and replaced with historically accurate recessed wooden storm windows that allow the shutters to open and to be latched closed.
As an island lighthouse, Pomham Rocks is vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions caused by climate change, especially strong wind and heavy rain. The primary cause of lighthouse window deterioration is moisture penetrating the wooden components through driving rain, sleet, ice and snow and the marine environment in general. Shutters that can be closed when coastal storms are predicted can add another layer of protection.
Pomham Rocks’ location in the Providence River also makes access difficult during winter months. Operable shutters will allow the Friends to protect the windows and interior of The Lighthouse when extreme weather conditions are predicted. Closed shutters in winter months will provide protection when it is more difficult for members to access the building. Once secured, the fully-operational shutters will help to protect the restored interior of the building and maritime collection, including Pomham’s antique Fresnel lens.
Photos: Pomham Rocks Lighthouse with shutters c1908 and 2024