Statement of Significance (as of designation - January 20, 1999):
A coastal brick tower built on the Great Lakes, Grosse Point Light Station was the lead navigational marker in the waters of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago Harbor. The light safely guided lakeborne traffic through one of America's most commercially important and highly traveled corridors, a shipping route which connected the East Coast, Great Lakes, and Gulf Coast shipping interests. In recognition of the importance of this lighthouse to maritime navigation, Grosse Point Lighthouse was fitted with the first second-order Fresnel lens on the Great Lakes. Decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1941, the second-order Fresnel lens remains in place in the lantern and all original buildings survive unaltered.