Our grants support organizations that teach future generations.

This year Preservation Connecticut in partnership with The 1772 Foundation awarded $9,000 to Beacon Preservation, Inc. for repainting Southwest Ledge Light, located in New Haven’s harbor. Completed in 1877, this is one of the first lighthouses to be built on a cylindrical iron foundation, an innovation to address shifting ice. Built in the Second Empire architectural design, Southwest Ledge Light is unique due to its whimsical dollhouse size and extraordinary Mansard roof. Repainting will address the blistering and rusting of the cast-iron surface and red-oxidation “bleed” from rust that discolors the white paint and mars the aesthetic appeal of the lighthouse. Once the paint surface is compromised, and rust sets in, it is impossible to reverse. Erosion of the surface can spread quickly in the saltwater conditions that batter this lighthouse, and only careful management and removal of rust, sealing of the surface, and coating with appropriate primer and paint, can arrest the deterioration process.

Beacon Preservation purchased Southwest Ledge Light in 2018. It is currently used as an active aid to navigation and future plans include restoring it to a functional, mixed-use marine laboratory for the Southern Connecticut State University’s Werth Science Center and a workspace for Beacon Preservation’s Green Light Academy (GLA). GLA is a grant-funded program that serves marginalized youth by providing a residential STEM skills program to high schoolers and ensures a partnership of community, education, and preservation initiatives that will be sustainable for decades to come.