With this single block design, you end up with a simple, elegant lighthouse. The design is based on the Biloxi lighthouse in Biloxi, MS. This lighthouse has been around awhile, and took nearly the full force of Katrina in 2005. It also survived Hurricane Georges in 1998 and the legendary Camille in 1969 along with many other storms. It’s apparently now the last standing lighthouse on the Mississippi coast. One of the reasons it’s so strong is that it’s made largely of cast iron and it’s the second oldest cast iron lighthouse in the nation. I’ve driven by it many times and the next time I do, I’ll take another photo of it to add to this entry (can’t find my other pix of it.)

    We can be certain that an ice version of this lighthouse won’t last nearly as long, but it should hold up well as long as it’s assembled properly.

    A major reason that I included this design is to illustrate how you can make the most of the ice that you have. If you were to carve it straight up and down, you would get a 40 inch high lighthouse. By carefully cutting the block apart and reassembling the parts, you end up with a lighthouse that’s about 54 inches high, meaning you get a 34% increase in height (see the illustration below.) You also get a more substantial sculpture, which means it will last longer. But you have to work for it a bit. Take care that your template isn’t too large and that the block that you’re using really is 40 inches by 20 inches. Another concern with tall, tower-like sculptures is that it’s really straight up and down and not leaning like the one in Pisa. Check this frequently while you’re carving. Incidentally, if you think the template is crooked, it’s not. It’s an annoying optical illusion created by the angled design. I checked several times to make sure.

    Finally, what’s a lighthouse without a light? You can drill a hole in the top and put a light if you like. If you’re using battery-powered lights, have backups, as the cold will REALLY shorten the battery life. Chemical lights are problematic too; in my experience the cold makes them dim. Otherwise, just make sure whatever you’re using is waterproof.

    If you would like to use this design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.