Chicago Harbor, Illinois HL 475 2007 April Release Open Edition Size Great Lighthouses of the World - lighted Having recovered from the Great Fire of Chicago, the Columbian Exposition was the perfect opportunity for the city to showcase itself for the nation and the world. With a strong desire to showcase their grasp of new technologies, the United States Lighthouse Board constructed the Spectacle Reef Light tower, an engineering feat consisting of a 111’ skeletal cast iron tower with a number of lenses including a magnificent Third Order Fresnel Lens. Interestingly, this Third Order Lens was slated for installation in the new lighthouse in Point Loma, California. Since the completion of the new lighthouse coincided with the close of the Exposition, the Board decided to keep the lens in Chicago and the lens was installed in the Chicago tower! One of the Great Lighthouses of the World, GLOW series, this lighthouse is also lighted.