Phase 1 Completed 2020
3,000 square feet
Historic Rehabilitation | New Construction

Since 2012, Oudens Ello Architecture has been collaborating with the Stonington Historical Society on the rehabilitation of the SHS's Old Lighthouse Museum in Stonington, Connecticut. On the National Register of Historic Places, the gem-like, load-bearing stone structure was originally constructed in 1840 and has operated as a local history museum since 1926, a ninety-year period of operation without any signification renovation. Long-term preservation of the historic structure, as well as providing universal accessibility to it, are key institutional goals for the project. Organized by a network of new pathways and low stone retaining walls, a reinvented public entry sequence leads visitors from the street to a new, 500-square foot addition overlooking Fishers Island Sound on the water side of the historic structure. The addition accommodates a range of visitor services, including an accessible museum entrance, info/ticketing desk, a small museum shop, public restroom and lead-in exhibits which explain the history of the lighthouse. Inside the lighthouse proper, restoration efforts center on the preservation and rehabilitation of historically-significant materials, as well as full replacement of damaged or diseased building elements.