Charleston Light

Charleston Light. The Last of It's Kind. , Completed in 1962, the Charleston Light on Sullivan's Island is the last major lighthouse built in the United States. It was designed by architect Jack Graham while he was enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Many of the design features can be traced to the influence of Graham's professor, famed modernist architect Louis Khan. The lighthouse is a triangular structure, with steel girders for the framework, aluminum alloy for siding and it contains a service elevator. The unusual three-sided design was chosen for its ability to withstand winds up to 125 miles per hour. In 1962 it was one of the brightest lighthouses in the world at 28-million candlepower. Five years later the lanterns were dimmed to 1.2 candlepower and they can still be seen 27 miles offshore. , {picture captions} These images show the progression from a sketch by architect Jack Graham to how the lighthouse appears today. Originally painted red-orange and white, it was repainted in its current black and white daymark after residents complaints about it appearance. The red-orange paint can still be seen under the balcony off the lantern room and in the photograph of the interior ladder walls. , Architect of the Charleston Light on Sullivan's Island, Jack Graham has made a lasting contribution to the island and to US maritime history. , The lighthouse stands 162.5 feet tall. In order to reach the top, Coast Guard personnel had to climb 35 feet of vertical ladder. , Lighthouses are distinguished from each other at sea by unique flash patterns and paint designs (daymarks). The Charleston Light produces two flashed of light every 30 seconds in a distinctive pattern.