Perched atop a stone platform fashioned in the early 1900s, the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse may offer the best view in town, but getting to it is more like a carnival ride than a day at the beach.
After trekking across Headlands Beach and navigating the large stone break wall, you reach the platform where the lighthouse sits and are faced with a 10’ vertical ascent. Right now, the only way up is an extension ladder. Depending on your level of acrophobia (i.e. fear of heights) and experience climbing ladders, this part can either be quite scary or a piece of cake.
But as far as stairs go, this is just the beginning. Once inside the lighthouse you’re faced with several more sets of stairs. To get to the basement, you descend a staircase with two landings. Or, from the main floor, you can climb to the three upper floors via the two massive circular cast iron staircases and a diminutive half-moon shaped iron staircase that leads finally to the Lantern Room where the beacon resides. I’ve never actually counted all the stairs, but trust me, there are many. And like most homes with multiple floors, whatever you may be looking for on one floor is likely on another.
But stairs are what add to the charm of Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse and circular stairs are pretty much expected in a lighthouse. When visitors come by, I make sure they know that in order to take in the 360° view outside from the widow’s walk, they need to maneuver a lot of stairs.
And while we may think that lighthouses with circular stairs are particularly historical, circular staircases go back thousands of years. In the Bible, two spiral staircases are depicted as being a part of Solomon’s Temple, perhaps providing access to a sacrificial altar. However, it wasn’t until the completion of Trajan’s column in Rome (113 AD) that the new spiral stair design really became more common in Roman Architecture. Still standing in Rome today, Trajan’s column is said to be the oldest ‘preserved’ spiral stair structure in the world. Trajan’s column, including its base, is built of marble and stands about 138ft high. The outside of the column is wrapped with a band of reliefs depicting the victories of Trajan’s army in the Dacian wars. More than 2000 carvings spiral upward, the entire height of the column, displaying the war from army preparations to the very last Dacian expelled from their country. But, perhaps the most unique characteristic of Trajan’s Column is the winding staircase that exists inside.[1]
The circular staircases at Fairport Harbor Lighthouse are not nearly as ornate as those in ancient Rome, but just as enjoyable to climb. So the next time you head out for a visit to the lighthouse, make sure you’re ready to climb some stairs. If so, the view from the top will surely rival heaven.
[1] Salter Spiral Stair.com com
