The first order Fresnel Lens was fixed atop the 100 foot tower. The keepers quarters were housed nearby the tower. Earthquakes often shook the structure. In April of 1906, the tower was badly cracked and part of the dwelling broke apart. A temporary 30 foot tower was built while a new tower was being constructed. The new tower was built out of reinforced concrete. It was the first tower built in this manner in the nation. Walter White, who worked on the project wrote, "the reinforced iron was threaded by hand to the top of the tower. Cement was mixed by hand." A mule pulled a crude elevator to lift the cement to each layer, where White would pour the concrete into the forms. When the tower was finished in 1908, a new characteristic was added to the light. It now rotated and flashed twice ever six seconds on a bed of mercury. The lens is still in the tower.
The Coast Guard took over the tower in 1937. The light was automated in 1977. The station was closed to the public until 1982 when the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. a non-profit group was granted permission from the Coast Guard to conduct tours. By 1984, they had signed a 25 year lease to use the lighthouse.
Point Arena Lighthouse can be seen in the Warner Brother's film, Forever Young, with Mel Gibson.
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The Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum - Official Site of the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.
Point Arena Lighthouse - Best viewed with Explorer