Description of Historic Place

The West Point Light Tower consists of a combined wooden square light lower and fog alarm building with a red shingle roof and white clapboard siding. The tower is two storeys in height, extending over the gable roof at one corner, and is topped by a projecting platform supporting an octagonal aluminum lantern enclosed by a metal railing. The light tower is located on a rocky headland at the end of a fjord announcing the outport of François on the south coast of Newfoundland. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The West Point Light Tower is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The West Point Light Tower is a good illustration of the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters. Built in 1966 as a replacement light station in the small outport of François, it is a late example of the federal government’s commitment to modernizing marine navigation throughout the province after Newfoundland’s entry into Confederation in 1949. Its construction is also related to the survival of this isolated outport and a reflection of the community’s long and continuing history as a fishing harbour.

Architectural Value
The West Point Light Tower is a good example of a combined square light tower and fog alarm building built as a variation of the departmental standard plan prepared by the Marine Aids Division of the Department of Transport. Its simple form represents an honest, vernacular expression of this plan. Its good aesthetic design is also evident in its good proportions and residential scale. In its simple plan, the light tower adequately serves its function of providing a secure base for the lantern and as a visual marker for the outport. Its wood frame structure, clad in clapboard and resting on a concrete foundation, is competently executed and in good condition. It has been well maintained over time.

Environmental Value
Located on a rocky headland at the entrance of a dramatic fjord leading to the outport of François, the light tower is compatible with the maritime character of the area. It is situated in an overwhelming setting composed of a steep rocky incline with bare vegetation typical of the tundra. Some of the buildings have been removed from the site, but the lightkeeper’s dwelling remains as a reminder of the presence of lightkeepers, and contributes in retaining the character of the site. The light tower is part of a gateway complex announcing the small community of François, and it is a very important sign point and reference for local fishers, coastal marine traffic and residents of the François area.

Sources: Dana Johnson, Light Tower, West Point Lighstation, François, Newfoundland and Labrador, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 06-017; West Point Light Tower, François, Newfoundland and Labrador, Heritage Character Statement, 06-017.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the West Point Light Tower should be respected.

Features that illustrate the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters, notably:
- its design components that are associated with the 1956 standard plan for a combined light tower and fog alarm;
- its location at the approach to the fjord and outport of François.

Its good aesthetic design, good functional design, good quality of craftsmanship and materials, as manifested in:
- the simplicity of its design, its good proportion and residential scale;
- its overall composition, characterized by a gable-roofed building surmounted by a square corner tower with a flat, projecting platform supporting an octagonal aluminum lantern and metal railing;
- its colour pattern, as seen in the use of red shingles on the gable roof and white paint on its metal lantern and railing;
- its straightforward plan, consisting of a room and small vestibule enclosing the stairs within the tower leading up to the lantern;
- the use of durable materials for its construction, such as its wood frame, concrete base and clapboard cladding.

Its compatibility with the maritime character of its setting, and its role as important reference point for the region, as evidenced in:
- its visibility at the entrance to the fjord at François;
- its location on a rocky headland adjacent to a former lightkeeper’s dwelling.