lighthouse
Winter of 2025
Arch1 Competition Team with Rowan Freeman, Rayna Richards, and Milcah Kresnadi
Sitting off the coast of a quaint fishing town in Northern Michigan is South Manitou Island. The island holds scattered cabins, a ferry dock, beautiful hiking trails, old shipwrecks, and the South Manitou Lighthouse.
The lighthouse, built in 1872, was once a guiding beacon for thousands of ships a day on the trek from Chicago to the Straits of Mackinaw. It was the only harbor for large vessels making the 300-mile journey.
Basement
Now, the island is a popular spot for hikers, with a ferry connecting the island to the nearby city of Leland.
Our lighthouse design draws inspiration from the magnificent lighthouse and adapts it to serve as a community center for visitors to the island.
The iconic light tower remained intact, with the bulk of the changes being performed to the keeper’s house. A large 3-story window was added to bring light into the building, as well as a ramp for accessibility. Both are a deep bright red, drawn from an old shed nearby with a red roof.
The basement of the building was transformed into a storage area, with lockers and equipment checkout, such as bikes and scuba gear.
The first floor becomes a check-in desk as well as a small store, selling basic supplies to visitors and hikers, such as batteries, granola bars, bug spray, etc.
The main addition to the building occurs on the top floor, which is transformed into a small cafe-lounge area. There is a small coffee counter and an array of seating for tired hikers to grab a pastry and a drink and rest their feet.
The second floor is also intended to house school groups visiting from nearby cities to teach about the history of this island and about nature in general.
The back side of the lighthouse is kept completely intact to honor its legacy and allow visitors to see what existed 150 years ago.
First Floor
Second Floor
South Manitou Island, Michigan
Adaptive Reuse Project