Description of Historic Place

The Cape Spear Lighttower consists of a tapered, concrete octagonal lighttower topped by an octagonal, aluminum lantern. The gently tapered walls of the tower rise to a flared cornice, above which is a railed observation platform around the lantern. A vertical row of three windows with simple, concrete lintels runs up one side of the lighttower. The lighttower is located on a rugged coastal landscape just east of the city of St. John’s on Newfoundland’s eastern shore and forms part of the Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site. It sits on the edge of a cliff, a short distance from the 1834 lighthouse that is the focus of the site. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical value:
The Cape Spear Lighttower is one of the best available examples to illustrate the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters. As a significant landfall light located on the most easterly point in North America, it guides international and coastal shipping entering and leaving the port of St. John’s. The present lighttower, built in 1953-54 as a replacement structure on the site of the second-oldest lightstation in the province, illustrates equally well the federal government’s early commitment to upgrade provincial aids to navigation after
Newfoundland’s entry into Canada in 1949. The lighttower is closely associated with the Cantwell family, whose members have managed the lightstation since 1846 and remain in charge of the current light.

Architectural value:
The Cape Spear Lighttower is a very good example of a freestanding, concrete, tapered, octagonal lighttower. It is notable for its gracefulness, fine proportions, simple yet effective detailing, and its integrity to the original design. It is a good example of a standardized plan that has evolved over time, fulfilling adequately its simple functional program of providing a secured base for the lantern and conveying the iconographic message of a day marker. Built to a standard plan prepared by the Department of Transport, it was constructed of well-known materials and used construction methods standard at the time, and has stood up well.

Environmental value:
Set on a dramatic cliff facing the ocean, in close proximity to an older cultural landscape centred on the 1834 lightstation, the Cape Spear Lighttower reinforces the maritime character of the area. Boardwalks and visitor service facilities were added to the site to support tourism-related activities at Cape Spear National Historic Site. However, the site retained its rugged landscape and vegetation, thus maintaining its original character. The Cape Spear Lighttower is a well-known reference point for tourists to the region and for the city of St. John’s.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Cape Spear Lighttower should be respected:

The features that illustrate the theme of aids to navigation in Canadian waters, notably:
- Its design and materials typical of the concrete, tapered, octagonal lighttower type; and,
- Its location on the easternmost point of land in North America.

Its very good aesthetic design, good functional design, and good quality of materials and craftsmanship, as manifested in:
- Its fine proportions and gracefulness, as characterized by its gently tapered walls, flared cornice, the octagonal forms of the base and lantern, its good lantern-to-base ratio, and the crisp lines of the platform;
- The vertical alignment of its three window openings;
- Its simple and functional detailing, including slightly projecting concrete lintels over window and door openings and the slightly projecting foundation at the base of the tower;
- The octagonal aluminum-and-glass lantern, with its gently sloping roof and finial;
- Its straightforward interior spatial arrangement, divided vertically into three floors and the lantern level, with interior metal stairs leading from one to the next; and,
- The durable materials used for its construction, including its reinforced concrete structure, its poured concrete foundation and floors, and prefabricated metal elements such as its interior stairs, lantern, and railings.

The manner in which it reinforces the maritime character of the area and functions as a reference point for the city and region, as evidenced in:
- Its location in a rugged landscape at the edge of a cliff, facing the ocean;
- Its relationship to other structures at the Cape Spear National Historic Site; and,
- Its visibility from land and water.