Bodie Island Light Station is set for much needed restoration.
The grounds and surrounding buildings are in the first stages of preparation for major restoration at the Bodie Island Light Station, just south of Nags Head.
Three historic buildings were recently relocated from the oceanfront to the station’s entrance road in preparation for rehabilitation. Two of the buildings that were relocated, a boathouse built in 1916 and a life saving station from 1879, will be secured on pilings near the lighthouse on the west side of N.C. 12 and prepared for future use. The buildings are expected to be used as a ranger station and garage. The third building, a Coast Guard station built in 1925, will be boarded up until funds are secured to restore it. It’s future use is still undecided, but it could become a visitor center, lifeguard housing or education center. Once funds are secured for the restoration, there will be a public meeting to determine future use.
The restoration project is estimated at $4.5 million. In addition to the restoration of the three buildings, the project will include:
- Restoration of the tower and original lens from 1872. Workers this month are prepping the lighthouse by removing the original First Order Fresnel lens.
- A new boardwalk from the lighthouse to the Pamlico Sound
- Replacing the roof and walkway at the lightkeeper’s station
- Widening the entrance road and adding bike paths
When the project is completed visitors will be able to climb the to the top of the lighthouse and see the amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound for the first time in decades. The improved light station should develop increased popularity because visitor’s have not been able to climb it for so long, and it is located in close proximity to the more urban areas of Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk.
NOAA recently announced that 
