The Livingstone Memorial Light, the world’s only all-marble lighthouse, was designed by legendary Detroit architect Albert Kahn and dedicated Oct. 17, 1930, on the fifth anniversary of his death.

The 58-foot marble-sheathed column honors longtime Lake Carriers Association President William Livingstone’s dedication to the advancement of Great Lakes shipping over six decades. The lighthouse's 8,600-candlepower light could be seen from 15 miles.

Livingstone was the son of a prominent businessman who made his fortune in the shipping industry. The younger Livingstone came to Detroit from Ontario, Canada, when he was 4 years old and became a first-rate machinist and locomotive engineer. He soon was put in charge of the repair shops of an Ohio railroad before deciding to swap the rails for the waves, following his father into the maritime business. He would go on to become president of the Lake Carriers Association. His biggest achievement was the creation of a deep water channel in the Detroit River, allowing for larger freighters, a bigger maritime economy and a more booming industry. The channel is still known as the Livingstone Channel. For his dedication to the advancement of Great Lakes shipping over six decades, the William Livingstone Memorial Light on Belle Isle was named in his honor. He was also president of Dime Savings Bank and owned the Detroit Journal.

Livingstone was also an ardent member of the Republican Party. In 1875, he had been elected to the state Legislature as a member of the GOP representing Detroit. During Republican President Chester A. Arthur's administration, he was appointed U.S. collector of Customs at Detroit. He also served as chairman of the executive committee of the Republican state central committee and chairman of the Michigan delegation at the national party’s convention in 1896.

He was incredibly close to U.S. Sen. Thomas W. Palmer, who gave Detroit the land to create Palmer Park - so much so, he named his son Thomas Witherell Palmer Livingstone.

After Livingstone’s death at age 81 on Oct. 17, 1925, the Detroit Free Press wrote the following morning that, "next to Henry Ford, he was probably the most widely known man in Detroit. … As banker, vessel owner, newspaper publisher and member of the state Legislature, Livingstone's name is linked closely with the commercial, financial and political history of Detroit and Michigan over the last half century."

At the time it opened, it was said, more ships passed through the channel than the Panama or Suez canals. It stands on the far eastern tip of the island, which the city had just recently filled in at the time. The reliefs on the lighthouse were designed by Geza Maroti, who also teamed up with Kahn on the Fisher Building.