As we conclude our 2025 Road Trip series visiting Michigan’s lighthouses, this month we explore the unique lighthouse structures that are in the Southeast corner of Michigan and near the shores of the Straits of Mackinac. Michigan has both a rich history and an abundant inventory of lighthouses that reinforce MAF’s mission of “advancing awareness of how architecture enriches life.” If you are planning a fall trip to the northern or southeastern shores of Michigan, please consider some of the following options to learn more about Michigan Lighthouses located on the shores of the Great Lakes:
Photo courtesy of Albert Kahn Associates and the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation
William Livingstone Memorial Light Station: Belle Isle
The nation’s only Art Deco lighthouse and only marble light is dedicated to influential Detroit banker and newspaperman, William Livingstone, who spearheaded navigational improvements to the Great Lakes. The 58-foot octagonal shaped light station was finished in 1930 and is designed by Art Deco architect Albert Kahn with ornamentation crafted by Hungarian sculptor, Geza Moroti. The light station is not open to the public, but a one-mile walking trail nearby provides views of the lighthouse, Windsor, and the mouth of Lake St. Clair.
Detroit River Light Station: Lake Erie, south of the mouth of the Detroit River
This Detroit River Light (also known as the Bar Point Shoal Light) was constructed in 1885. The platform that the light station lives on, is a unique ship-like shape that helps to break up approaching ice floes. The 49-foot black-and-white-striped light was prefabricated in Amherstburg, Ontario. The light remains an active navigational aid and can only be seen by boat.
Grosse Ile North Channel Front Range Light Station: 19505 Parke Ln, Grosse Ile Township
Constructed in 1906 on the Detroit River, the octagonal tower of the Grosse Ile Light is striking with the white clapboard façade. Although the Grosse Ile Light is privately owned, tours of the house and the 50-foot light can be arranged through the Grosse Ile Historical Society.
Windmill Point Light Station: 14702 Riverside Blvd, Detroit
Built in 1933, the 45-foot Windmill Point Lighthouse is the fifth light to occupy this location, where the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair meet. The light has an octagonal base of concrete and is topped by a 33-foot cylindrical white steel-plate tower. Entry to the active lighthouse is not permitted, but it is viewable from Mariners Park.
Photo Credit: Matthew Goeckner
Huron Lightship: 800 Prospect Pl, Port Huron
The Huron Lightship was the last operating lightship on the Great Lakes and served for over 50 years, it was officially retired in 1970. Similar to a floating lighthouse, where cost or circumstances made a permanent light impractical, Huron Lightship 103, a National Historic Landmark, sits dry-docked in Port Huron’s Pine Grove Park. The Huron Lightship is open for tours during the summer and it features a small museum.
Museum Information and Tickets
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse: 2802 Omar St, Port Huron
The first lighthouse in this area was built in 1825 and was the first lighthouse to be built on Lake Huron. Unfortunately, due to bad location, poor design, and construction, the original tower collapsed into the river during a storm in 1828. The current Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, built in 1829, is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Michigan and the oldest operating lighthouse in the Great Lakes. Built at the junction of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River, the 86-foot white brick tower is operated by the Port Huron Museum and is open for tours.
DeTour Reef Lighthouse: Light House Rd, De Tour Village, MI 49725
The eye-catching white DeTour Reef Lighthouse sits one mile offshore and marks the northern end of Lake Huron. Approximately 5,000 ships annually pass the lighthouse and has become locally known as “The Gateway to Lake Superior”. Built in 1931 of reinforced concrete and steel, the 83-foot lighthouse has been restored. During the summer you can take a boat to the DeTour Reef Lighthouse at Fort Drummond Marine on Drummond Island, rent the lighthouse for a weekend, or consider their keepers program.
Photo Credit: Kevin Carrera
Round Island Lighthouse: Western end of Round Island, located in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac
Designed to guide mariners around the shoals near Mackinac Island, Round Island Lighthouse was built in 1895, by Detroit carpenter Frank Rounds, who had previously worked on Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel. The red and white brick lighthouse, surrounded by the turquoise waters, is topped with a black lantern and has two-and-a-half-story cross-gabled dwelling. The lighthouse is not currently open to the public, however visitors can access the grounds by boat.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: 526 N Huron Ave, Mackinaw City
In the 19th century, the narrow Straits of Mackinac ranked among the most treacherous stretches of water for mariners. Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, the Norman Revival ‘Castle of the Straits’, was first lit in 1889. The lighthouse played an important role until 1957, when the Mackinac Bridge and superior navigational aids rendered the lighthouse obsolete. Today, the lighthouse is part of the Mackinac State Historic Parks and is open for tours every spring through fall.