There was something in Brent Tompkins’ landlocked childhood that instilled in him a love of lighthouses.

When the 44-year-old remodeler learned of a chance to buy not just a lighthouse, but perhaps the most iconic lighthouse on the Great Lakes, Tompkins jumped at the opportunity. As Patrick Sullivan writes in this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, Tompkins and a friend purchased the White Shoal Lighthouse in the middle of northern Lake Michigan for $110,009 through a government auction.

That might sound like a bargain for an 11-story, five-bedroom, 5,000-square foot tower with 360-degree views of Lake Michigan — or it sounds insane. Terry Pepper, director emeritus of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, says his nonprofit looked into buying White Shoal when the federal government first proposed offloading it in 2012. They passed.

“Our board just said, ‘We just can’t take on that responsibility,” Pepper says, noting that they estimated renovation would cost $3 million. “God love Brent and the other gentlemen that bought that lighthouse with their own money. Thank God they stepped up. If I were in better physical shape, I would be helping them.”

Tompkins and his partner, Mike Lynch, formed the nonprofit White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society and plan to restore the light, make it suitable for habitation, and open it as a bed-and-breakfast. They hope to accomplish that in five years. If the nonprofit can succeed at turning White Shoal into an all-inclusive resort, guests will have plenty of diversions to keep them occupied. Tompkins wants to establish a 1950s vibe and keep modern technology out of sight. He envisions guests in the common room watching movies screened from a projector or listening to music from a record player.

“There will be modern tech out there, but it’s not going to be visible,” he says. “It’s going to be like you’re stepping back in time.”

Read more about Tompkins' and Lynch's ambitious plans for the lighthouse and the White Shoal project in this week's Northern Express story, "The White Shoal Beckons." The Northern Express is available to read online, or pick up a free copy at one of nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.