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Virginia Beach lighthouse to close for restoration project

The effort to fix up the Cape Henry Lighthouse is projected to begin this fall.
Credit: WVEC
The original Cape Henry Lighthouse was built in 1792.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- A lighthouse in Virginia Beach that was the first federally funded construction project in the U.S. is set to close soon for a $1.5 million restoration project.

The Virginian-Pilot reports the effort to fix up the Cape Henry Lighthouse is projected to begin this fall.

Will Glasco is director of development for Preservation Virginia, the nonprofit that has owned and operated the eight-sided lighthouse since 1930. He says the restoration will involve erosion stabilization, a concrete platform to protect the lighthouse's base and new interpretive signs. The effort is a joint project between Preservation Virginia and the city.

The newspaper reports the lighthouse, completed in 1792, was approved by George Washington and overseen by Alexander Hamilton.

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