National Register-listed (1966) and California Historical Landmark #56, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse anchors Cabrillo National Monument at 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr. Built in 1854 and first lit November 15, 1855, the Cape Cod-style structure served as the southern-most Pacific coast beacon until March 23, 1891 — a 36-year operational run ended by the marine-layer fog that routinely obscured the light at its 422-foot elevation, a story presented in depth at the adjacent Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center's exhibits. The third-order Fresnel lens currently on display arrived from the decommissioned Mile Rocks Lighthouse near the Golden Gate in May 1981, replacing the original Sautter & Co. lens purchased in Paris for $3,810 in 1855. The restored interior depicts 1887-period living conditions for the lighthouse-keeper family, with the museum sitting within walking distance of the Point Loma Tide Pools along the same National Park Service parcel that Woodrow Wilson designated as Cabrillo National Monument in 1913. Public access to the tower itself is restricted to two annual commemorations — Founder's Day on August 25 and Open Tower Day on November 15 — when the lantern room becomes accessible and visitors climb to the 462-foot focal-plane elevation that once made this the highest coastal navigational light in the United States.