Fort Point Lighthouse Below the Golden Gate Bridge

Before last weekend, I had never sketched Fort Point Lighthouse, located just below the towering Golden Gate Bridge. The iron lighthouse was built in 1863, but once work began on the bridge in 1933, the lighthouse was obscured from view and soon decommissioned. A fog signal and navigational light were then placed at the base of the bridge’s south tower. It became a National Historic Site in 1970 cementing its perch overlooking the bay.

 

If you haven't experienced the bridge from below, you’d probably be impressed by the energy surrounding it. The structure's enormous size, the sounds of non-stop traffic, the tide moving in out of the bay in conjunction with the weather swirling around the span all provide an electrifying experience that crackles with energy.

 

I sketched atop the fort for a couple of hours, before strong winds, fog and cold drove me to seek shelter in the fort below.