[ LIGHTHOUSE HOME ]
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Lighthouse residence
makes admiral beam
The Coast Guard's district commander and his wife
enjoy life in their stunning Diamond Head quarters
Thousands of walkers, joggers, bicyclists and motorists pass by every day. Scores of people in cars, buses and even on motorcycles park or just pull off the road nearby to enjoy the view of Koko Head to the east and Barbers Point to the west.
But few of them realize that next to the Diamond Head Lighthouse, behind the chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and backed by a 10-foot-tall hedgerow, is one of the most exclusive homes on the slopes of Diamond Head.
Guests are awestruck when they see for the first time what is behind the fence.
"Most of them, when they walk through the gate, they go, 'Wow!'" said the current resident, Rear Adm. Charles Wurster. "That's kind of nice because you feel good about showing the place to people who appreciate it."
The home has been the official residence of the U.S. Coast Guard's 14th District commander since 1939. Wurster is halfway through his two-year assignment, though he can request a one-year extension.
And it's not just the ocean view that wows visitors.
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"I think what's most impressive about this place is just the landscaping," said Wurster's wife, George Ann.
A thick lawn lined with well-manicured trees, brush and other plants separates the home from the lighthouse. A gazebo, flanked by palm trees, sits near the edge of the cliff.
Trees placed down-slope conceal the edge of the cliff. They also make it difficult to see the house and grounds from the beach and ocean. A large tree covers part of the home, making it difficult to see from the Diamond Head Crater lookout above.
And then there is the view, rivaling those from the multimillion-dollar homes nearby. The view is such a visual magnet that everything else disappears in the background. First-time visitors walk right past the landscaping and a cascading water fountain without even noticing them.
The house was a modest, one-story bungalow with four small bedrooms when it was built in 1921 for the lighthouse keeper and his family. After the lighthouse was automated in 1924, the house became the home of the superintendent of the 19th Lighthouse District. In 1939 the Bureau of Lighthouses combined with the Coast Guard.
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The home now has three larger bedrooms, an expanded kitchen, an enclosed front porch and a second living room downstairs from the main house.
"The reason it's so big is we do some official entertaining," Wurster said.
Wurster and his wife host VIPs, official guests and Coast Guard guests for receptions or dinners. The Coast Guard also conducts invitation-only Easter services on the grounds.
A Coast Guard chef has an office in the basement where he works full time to help manage the property and plan and carry out official functions.
When the commander's friends and relatives visit, they can stay in the studio cottage at the base of the lighthouse. The cottage has its own front porch overlooking Diamond Head Beach.
The lighthouse and its grounds are not open to the public. However, the Coast Guard allows TransPacific Yacht Race organizers on the property every two years when the race is held. The finish line spans the lighthouse and a buoy a half-mile offshore.
The Coast Guard also resumed educational tours for school kids at the lighthouse this year, a practice that was suspended following 9/11.
"It really is enjoyable to live anywhere in Hawaii, but particularly here with such a nice view. And we can look out on the ocean and see surfers and the windsurfers out there," Wurster said. "And on the street outside, people bicycling, jogging and walking and just enjoying this end of the island, an idyllic kind of a setting."
