Description of Historic Place

Cape Pine Lighthouse, located on a remote, rocky site, is a massive, tapered, cast-iron tower painted in wide horizontal bands of red and white. Each band of colour is pierced by small square windows. The lighthouse also has a wide gallery supported by curved brackets. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Cape Pine Lighthouse is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
Cape Pine Lighthouse, as the first in a series of special structures, is associated with the development of safe trans-Atlantic navigation, particularly in the development of safe navigation in Newfoundland and approaches to the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. The lighthouse was also the first of a series of similarly prefabricated structures to be erected in Newfoundland in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Architectural Value
Cape Pine Lighthouse, the first and among the most impressive of its type, is a very good example of a prefabricated, cast-iron lighthouse with excellent functional design.
Purpose-built to guide trans-Atlantic traffic its design represents a carefully executed instance of maritime design and engineering. The cast-iron constructions proved suitable substitutes for fire-prone timber structures. It exhibits good quality craftsmanship.

Environmental Value
Cape Pine Lighthouse reinforces the character of its coastal setting and is a landmark for local fishermen and commercial vessels.

Sources:
Sally Coutts, Cape Pine Lighthouse, Cape Pine, Newfoundland, Gull Island Lighthouse, Gull Island, Newfoundland, Cabot Island Lighthouse, Cabot Island, Newfoundland, Rocky Point Lighthouse, Harbour Breton, Newfoundland, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 88-127, 88-133, 88-136, 88-173.

Lighthouse, Cape Pine, Newfoundland, Heritage Character Statement, 88-127.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of Cape Pine Lighthouse should be respected, for example:

Its prefabricated cast-iron design, functional qualities and fine craftsmanship, for
example:

-The massing of the tower that consists of a smooth tapered cylinder topped by a 12-sided light with a shallow conical cap.
-The series of overlapping cast-iron plates.
-The exterior gallery of cast-iron, supported on curved iron brackets, with an unadorned
balustrade of thin vertical elements.
-The six horizontally painted bands, alternating red and white.
-The small square windows and narrow single door.

The manner in which Cape Pine Lighthouse reinforces the character of its coastal setting, and is a local landmark, as evidenced by:

-Its overall form and massing which is the dominant element in the harsh coastal
environment.
-Its large scale and distinctive bands of red and white which makes it highly visible to
passing sea going vessels.