I’ve been thinking about this idea for a few years, and I’ve talked about it with some people, but I’m going to throw it out there for the public to consider.
And I’ll say from the start I know this is preposterous idea, but a lot of great ideas that became real were initially preposterous. Like building a transcontinental railroad. Or the Brooklyn Bridge. Or the Superdome.
Alexandria should build a lighthouse.
OK, I know we’re not a port city, and we’re not located on a coastline. I’m talking about a faux lighthouse. We cannot call it an historic lighthouse, but we could – and should – use it as a connection to the Red River and Alexandria’s history rather than make it simply a decorative tower. As Father Chad Partain, an Alexandria historian, pointed out when I first discussed the idea with him, we could also tie it in with one of the original seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This was a massive navigational tower built around 280 B.C. on the island of Pharos in Egypt. It guided sailors for more than 1,500 years but no longer stands, although some blocks and underwater ruins from the structure still exist.
This could be a beacon on the Red River, a new landmark that could be a tourist attraction and be a distinctive centerpiece of the riverfront. I admit artificial intelligence has helped with plenty of ideas about such a project. By the way, the lighthouse photo in the column header (AI produced) is just that, a faux lighthouse photo, not necessarily the one for us.
The City of Alexandria has talked of wanting to connect downtown more strongly to the Red River as part of its revitalization strategy, and Louisiana’s Office of Tourism describes the Red River as the focal point of Alexandria and Pineville with festival grounds and the amphitheater beside the river.
I’ll leave it to the Red River, Atchafalaya and Bayou Bouef Districts to guide, with their easement requirements, the way for engineers to build the structure in an approved zone.
But dream away. This lighthouse will be a civic landmark and observation tower. It should then be taller than, say, the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse (43 feet) or the Biloxi Lighthouse (65 feet), which are primarily used for navigational purposes. The ideal height might approach 85-90 feet. At that height it would rise substantially above the levee and surrounding park and be visible from downtown streets and for those approaching downtown. It would also be highly visible from the Pineville side of the river and give Alexandria a recognizable skyline feature.
You think seeing the tall tree by the South Circle lit up in Christmas lights in past years was a warm-and-fuzzy sight, this would magnify that feeling a hundredfold.
At roughly 90 feet, it would also be a modest enough size to not be an overpowering, overpriced skyscraper.
Let’s figure on an observation deck at the top with views of the river and downtown Alexandria and Pineville, as well as a lantern room with a rotating beacon visible at night. There could be a small Alexandria/Red River maritime museum and perhaps interactive demonstrations, fanciful optics and/or an instructional video of how lighthouse beams work. Throw in a Louisiana-themed gift shop and a small café.
Other possible exhibits inside could be historic photographs and maps.
Sure, it’ll cost a bunch (one AI estimate is $8.5 million) to make it happen, with money coming from a variety of sources, from the city, RRWC, Louisiana Capital Outlay, to federal grants, private/philanthropic funding to corporate sponsorships, naming rights and endowments. And the annual operating budget might run $450-$650 thousand a year. But this tower should generate revenue.
The goal is for this to be a big attraction. But even if, in the first year or so, it attracts just a third or half of the minimum 120 thousand visitors that annually go to the Alexandria Zoo, it could generate $400,000 annually, according to AI figures. That’s with tickets costing $8 for adults, $5 for kids, $6 for seniors and $25 for family memberships. Also factor in revenue from the gift shop, private and corporate events, weddings, sponsorships, naming opportunities and memberships.
We can thank those that came before us for improvements that have come in the last 30-plus years. The Red River for so long was just partially navigable by steamboat starting in 1814 (when the first steamboat, the Enterprise, reached the city), but year-round commercial navigation was fully achieved in 1994 after the completion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Red River Waterway locks and dam project.
And, of course, one of the great Alexandria success stories is the development of the Alexandria International Airport in 1996. This came after local leaders created the England Economic and Industrial Development District to reuse the closed England Air Force Base.
It’s time for us to step up and write a remarkable chapter in Alexandria’s history.
Building a lighthouse in Alexandria. Preposterous?
No doubt.