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Ken Kochel in his book, America's Atlantic Coast Lighthouses, stated, "the active east lighthouse (referring to Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse), is a leading candidate to win the blue ribbon for being Maine's most beautiful lighthouse."
Edward Hopper, the famous artist, made the lighthouse known world wide with his painting that has been reproduced over and over. It appeared on the Maine Statehood postage stamp in 1970 (shown on page 2). The light-station is known and recognized all over the world. It is viewed and photographed by thousands of people each year.
Its appearance may soon change, if William Kourakos has his way. Kourakos bought the historic Keepers house in 1994. At that time it was on the market for a whopping $465,000.
Kourakos, a Connecticut resident who purchased the property as a summer home, wants to change the way it looks by demolishing parts of it and renovating other parts of it.
His proposed change would alter an important part of Maine's history, if not a vital part of the maritime history of our country.
Many local residents are up in arms over the changes, but there is not much anyone can do, except appeal to Kourakos. The former Keepers House is not on the National Register of Historic Places, Kourakos is the owner and has the legal right to alter the property any way he sees fit.
One nearby resident, Ariette McDonald in a letter to Kourakos said, "Certainly the cottage (referring to the former Keepers Quarters), and lighthouse together are equal in significance to any museum installation." She went on to write, "Altering them would be comparable to putting skylights in Mount Vernon or painting Monticello yellow."
The keepers quarters, built in 1873, were modernized in 1979. Kourakos's plans call for the removal of the more modern additions, such as a garage built into the foundation. The house would then be enlarged so it has six bedrooms instead of three and a two car garage would be built next to it.
Stephen Blatt of Stephen Blatt Architects in Portland Maine told the Portland Press Herald Newspaper that the new design remains true to the historic nature of the house by keeping the same lines and such features as the gingerbread trim.
Gail Levin of New York who published a biography of Edward Hopper in 1995, said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald Newspaper that the house is an important part of "American history and art history. I don't think anything should be done other than restore it to its original appearance."
The station is commonly referred to as Two Lights, because of the two lighthouse towers constructed there. The west tower was abandoned in 1924 when coastal twin lights were discontinued. It is privately owned today.
Although Kourakos owns the Keepers Quarters of the east tower, he does not own the tower itself, which is still owned by the United States Coast Guard. Its beautiful 2nd order lens was removed from the tower in 1994, over the objections of the lighthouse community and put on display in the Cape Elizabeth town hall.
This story appeared in the September 1998 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
All contents copyright © 1995 - 2003 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.
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