In August 1790, the Commonwealth of Virginia transferred two acres at Cape Henry to the United States for construction of the Cape Henry Lighthouse. In November 1790, a national newspaper published a request for bids on the United States' first public works project. The design called for a stone lighthouse faced with hewn brick, octagonal in form, with three windows in the east and four in the west to take advantage of natural light. It was planned to extend 13 feet below the water table, and the specifications included an interior stairway, a fuel storage shed, and a two-story wooden keeper's house. In March 1791, twenty-eight-year-old John McComb, Jr. of New York began construction, after having started his architectural career in 1783 assisting his father, John McComb, Sr. After work began, he found the sand softer than expected and changed the foundation to 20 feet deep instead of the prescribed 13 feet. The completed lighthouse was lit for the first time on November 17, 1792.
