William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse

01 / The story of this place

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William Livingstone (1844–1925) was a Detroit banker and newspaper owner and, for decades, president of the Lake Carriers' Association, the voice of Great Lakes shipping. After his death, shippers and Detroit citizens raised money for a memorial, and the result, at the northeastern tip of Belle Isle facing Lake St. Clair, is the only marble lighthouse in the United States. The 58-foot fluted Art Deco tower of Georgia marble was designed by the Hungarian sculptor and architect Géza Maróti together with Albert Kahn, the two already working side by side on the Fisher Building. Maróti also created the sculpture at its base: a large relief above the door showing humanity overcoming the forces of nature, and a dedication tablet held up by putti. The light first shone on April 6, 1930, and the memorial was dedicated on October 17, 1930, the fifth anniversary of Livingstone's death. After thieves stole some of its lamps in 1980, the tower was fenced. Restored in the 1990s, it remains a working light that burns around the clock.

1. The only marble lighthouse in the United States
2. Designed by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti with Albert Kahn
3. Maróti carved the relief above the door and the putti-borne dedication tablet
4. First lit April 6, 1930; dedicated October 17, 1930
5. Still a working light, shining around the clock