A lighthouse older than Canada itself is getting a makeover.

"It's a great day for us to know that the work is going to be started and the lighthouse is going to come back to its former glory," said Sue Paul with the Sambro Island Lighthouse Heritage Society.

The tender was awarded to Ontario company Quinan Construction for $1.3 million.

Built in 1758, the Sambro Island Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in Canada and its original stone tower still stands.

It is the oldest continuously working lighthouse in the Americas.

In 2010, the federal government declared the lighthouse surplus, along with hundreds of other lighthouses across the country.

A beacon to newcomers

The light from the iconic red and white structure can be seen more than 25 kilometres out to sea. It has guided many generations of mariners safely around the dangerous Sambro Ledges on the southwestern approaches to Halifax Harbour.

The tower has changed a bit in the nearly three centuries it has been standing. At some point, it was made taller and the red and white stripes were added in the late 1800s.

"It really has watched Canada's history go by it, from the very inception of our country," Paul said.

Before air travel was widespread, the Sambro lighthouse was one of the first sights of newcomers to Canada, welcoming them to their new home. In fact, it was a beacon for more than just mariners.

Last glimpse of home

"As the world wars took place and the Korean war, all of our soldiers who departed from Halifax, it would have been the last thing they would have [seen] of Canada as they departed to go to war," Paul said.

"For the lucky ones that got to come back home, it would have been the first thing that welcomed them back to safety and home."

Work on the lighthouse will include fixing the concrete foundation and Paul says painting the structure will be a significant job in itself.

"It's a huge tower and its location, of course, makes any renovation or any work being done to it expensive because to get things out there is going to be a real trick," she said.

A helicopter will likely be needed to drop supplies since there isn't a road to the site, she said.

Encourage visitors

The remote location of the Sambro Island lighthouse also makes it difficult for tourists to access.

But Paul said that doesn't stop people from trying.

She hopes this restoration will spread the word about her little fishing village's beautiful lighthouse and encourage more people to visit.