By IGGY FEDOROFF
In January, an article appeared in the cambriaca soliciting donations on behalf of the Cambria Pinedorado Lions Foundation to complete major renovations to the historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Fresnel Lens. The Lions Foundation is pleased to report that the community stepped up, due primarily to major donations by Richard and Shirley Lee as well as the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association totaling $20,000. The remaining cost to refurbish the lens enclosure has been fully funded. Funds are still needed for a final engineering study that is expected to reaffirm an extended service life for the enclosure of at least five more years. Funds are also needed to clean the lens and to maintain the enclosure.
The “borrower of record” for the lens is the Cambria Pinedorado Lions Foundation. Work, such as the required lens cleaning and periodic maintenance, assures this asset valued at more than $2 million remains in good condition for generations of residents and visitors to enjoy. A GoFundMe campaign has been established by the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Station Association with a goal of raising $100,000. Donations submitted will be forwarded to the Pinedorado Lions Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization. As of this writing, $22,050 has been donated, an amount that will cover engineering and immediate maintenance expenses with some reserve for future work.
Beginning in 1874, the journey of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse lens from France to Piedras Blancas to Cambria is unusual, to say the least. The saga encompasses beauty, technology, ingenuity, rescue and, most of all, the not-so-gentle hand of Mother Nature. As seen as recently as last week, storms are not unusual on the North Coast of the County. For those onboard ocean-going ships, the storms could and did take a serious toll. Knowing what was ahead was vital to the captains trying to navigate into the tiny port of San Simeon. The Piedras Blancas Lighthouse was the answer.
Nobody seems to know or remember what spelled the end of the line for the lantern room that housed the Fresnel lens. A single, brutal storm or earthquake? A series of rough storms, high winds, settling of the building caused by weather or the relentless battering of the waves against the fragile soil of the point? Any or all of the above could also be responsible for the demise of the top of the lighthouse. About 25 feet down from the top, the lighthouse developed a crack in the tower. The lens was eventually removed and slated for destruction. However, members of the Lions Club of Cambria saw an important historical artifact in the Fresnel lens and moved it to its present location with a dedication ceremony during Pinedorado in September 1951. The U.S. Coast Guard remains the owner and the Cambria Lions Club the custodian of this important community asset.
At times when the sun strikes the prisms of the lens, millions of tiny rainbows dance across Cambria’s Main Street, reminding everyone of the thousands of donated hours and dollars, and of all the love and care that have gone into the preservation of this historic treasure from a distant continent and another age. Donations to the GoFundMe campaign are tax deductible and will be truly appreciated for generations to come.
