Description of Historic Place

The False Duck Lighttower is an automated purpose-built “apple core” lighthouse that consists of a tall and slim hexagonal shaft widening at its apex and featuring alternating horizontal bands of red and white. The tower is notable for its simple elevations punctuated by rectangular window openings and a narrow band of windows below the roof of the upper room on which rests a beacon. It is connected to an adjacent fog alarm building. The False Duck Lighttower sits on a small island in Prince Edward Bay, at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The designation is confined to the footprint of the tower and fog alarm building.

Heritage Value

The False Duck Lighttower is a “Recognized” Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value
The False Duck Lighttower is a very good illustration of the theme of aids to navigation in the Great Lakes. The lighttower was built in 1965-66 to replace the original stone tower that had suffered structural damage after being struck by lightning. The lighttower is part of a network of lights marking the approach to Kingston. It was purpose-built as a fully automated lighthouse, and as such, represents a significant moment in the evolution of lighthouses, as the concept of unmanned lighthouses in the context of modernism brought innovations that were breaking with tradition.

Architectural value
The False Duck Lighttower is a very good and early example of an “apple core” lighthouse. Designed roughly at the same time that the first prototype of this class of lighttower was built at Cape Forchu, the False Duck Lighttower is noteworthy for the pure and uncompromised expression of its form and overall geometry. The design is an excellent response to the functional requirements of an automated light. The uncommon absence of a lantern contributes to the completeness of the design and is indicative of the functionalist thinking of the 1960s. Its vertical cantilevered design was a fairly advanced engineering idea at the time, allowing for a small footprint and single point of support. The lighttower and fog alarm building were constructed using durable and standard materials for the time and are currently in good condition, demonstrating good quality of craftsmanship. Built according to the plans of Lorence E. Slaght of the Department of Transport, the lighttower represents a unique and important piece of work in his career.

Environmental value
The False Duck Lighttower is an isolated built feature on a nondescript beach, and as such, is compatible with the maritime character of the area. Soon after the light was first lit, the old stone tower, the equipment building and the two keepers’ dwellings were demolished. The relationship between the lighttower, its adjacent fog alarm building and its site, consisting of an area cleared of vegetation near the water’s edge, has been maintained even though a fence and solar panels were later added. The lighttower is well known to the mostly recreational boaters who navigate in the area and is a familiar landmark to the small community of South Bay, which displays the original lantern at the Mariners’ Park Museum.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the False Duck Lighttower include, among others:

The features that illustrate the theme of aids to navigation in the Great Lakes, notably:
— Its strategic location as a navigational aid in Prince Edward Bay and as part of a chain of lighthouses providing direction to Kingston.

Its very good aesthetic design, excellent functional design, and its good quality craftsmanship and materials, as manifested in:
— Its pure expressive massing, consisting of a slender hexagonal shaft flaring at the top to enclose an upper room, on the roof of which rests a beacon instead of a lantern;
— The simplicity of its shaft, without ornament and punctuated by four rectangular window openings lighting the interior spiral staircase and by a narrow band of windows below the roof;
— Its engineered vertical cantilevered design, allowing for a small footprint and single point of support;
— The absence of a traditional lantern and gallery, which speaks to it having been unmanned and is also representative of the functionalist thinking of the 1960s;
— Its modest link by a short passage to the adjacent fog alarm building, also hexagonal in plan;
— The use of an identifiable day-marker, consisting of contrasting white and red bands of colours, which increase the structure’s daytime visibility;
— The use of durable materials for the tower, such as a reinforced concrete shaft, a concrete base anchored to the bedrock, and a metal spiral staircase and ladder leading to a steel framed top enclosure sided with aluminum and covered by a metal roof; and,
— The use of compatible materials for the fog alarm building, such as concrete blocks walls and metal roof.

The building’s compatibility with the maritime character of the area and role as landmark for the region, as evidenced in:
— Its prominent position on a low point near the water’s edge; and,
— Its tower’s geometry and use of red and white colours, typical of this class of lighthouse design.