Preservation of the Cape Florida Lighthouse helps connect the past with the present. In 1996, the lighthouse was restored to its 1855 appearance. Several 1855 components and the 1960s-era steel replica of the lantern room were removed from the lighthouse and placed on display, and cast iron reproductions built according to the original plans replaced them. In 1854, Lt. George G. Meade of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed an extension of nearly 30 feet, which was completed in 1855. The displayed pieces include five of the original 110 internal stairs from the base of the tower to the watch room, the steep stairs from the tower into the lantern room, the lower lip of the roof cone, bracket beams that supported the heavy iron lantern and watch rooms atop the brick tower, a large cast iron spider column that helped support the stairs, lantern, and watch rooms, and the cupola, the lighthouse's highest feature, which provided a decorative finish and allowed exhaust from the lantern to escape through vents.