In the small Lake Erie waterfront town of Fairport Harbor, east of Cleveland, Sheila Consaul is a celebrity of sorts. Known to locals as “The Lighthouse Lady,” she purchased the derelict Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light at the mouth of the Grand River in 2011 and has been restoring the lighthouse to its former glory — one slow step at a time — ever since.
“The lighthouse had been unoccupied by keepers for some 60 years,” she says. “The lighthouse is a labor of love, but the restoration has taken me much longer than I ever expected. Just in paint alone, I’ve used 150 gallons: 90 gallons of that on the interior and 60 gallons on the exterior.”
The sandy, half-mile path to the historic lighthouse begins at Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor and is a popular spot for birding.
Consaul, a communications consultant, has painstakingly turned the lighthouse into her summer dream home in those 15 years since she ponied up $71,010 for it at a U.S. General Services Administration federal auction. She lives and works there from May to October, then returns to her winter home in Virginia for the remainder of the year. The following photos are a peek inside the historic light, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025.
Constructed in Buffalo, New York, in the early 20th century, the shell of the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light (measuring 3,000 square feet and weighing 65 tons) was loaded onto the steamer SS Wotan and moved 147 miles west to Fairport Harbor, where it was mounted on its base, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and finished in place. (Historical photo circa 1921).
The lighthouse, which sleeps 10 people, has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with the master bedroom located on the third floor.
While restoring the original bedroom, now a cheery guest room, Consaul chose to leave some of the original brickwork exposed for visitors to view.
Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bronze plaque attached to the exterior of the lighthouse states in part, “The beacon was first lit June 9, 1925.”
Two stained-glass windows, custom designed, fabricated, and depicting the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse at sunrise and moonrise, are not original décor but add a beautiful extra touch nonetheless.
The lighthouse has five floors, and Sheila Consaul likes to do her computer work on the airy main living level, which contains the kitchen, living room, and dining area.
Visitors to the lighthouse are invited to sign the guest book located just inside the front door.
While mostly staying true to the lighthouse’s original interior design, Consaul added a decorative compass rose inlay to the original dark-colored, wooden flooring on the third- floor landing.
When owner Sheila Consaul is in residence at the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, the U.S. flag flies proudly from the widow’s walk.
