So, we bought a lighthouse

When Dave Waller heads out on a whim to see a lighthouse up for public auction, he gamely climbs the 35 foot ladder to its “front door” and the five flights of crumbling stairs to the watch deck. The view of the Boston skyline is breathtaking and he is hooked. Equally smitten is self-made entrepreneur Bobby Sager, who drives the bidding war up to an historic high. Waller and his wife, Lynn, borrow more money and when Sager’s assistant fails to submit a bid, they become the proud owners of the most expensive lighthouse in history.

The Wallers embark on renovations, ferrying volunteers with a stomach for this kind of adventure out to Graves on Miss Cuddy, a retired Coast Guard boat. There is no dock so Miss Cuddy is moored; people, supplies, and equipment have to be rowed by Waller in a perpetually deflating dinghy and hoisted up from the water using a pulley system. It is a slow, painstaking process greatly impacted by tides and weather. Waller quickly runs out of funds, but serendipitously Sager reemerges on the scene and they decide to share the costs and ownership of Graves. Renovations now continue in earnest. Waller discovers an Australian lighthouse engineer, and throws him into the Herculean task of rebuilding and installing an original Fresnel lens. However, all of the press surrounding the project entices the town of Hull to claim the property and hit Waller with a tax bill ballooned with additional fines of $25k for every day of ownership. Waller and Sager decide to wage legal war and fight a corrupt City Hall to save Graves.

Filmmaker Statement

Having worked with Dave Waller for several years, I knew him to be quite the collector. His home, which is a firehouse he literally renovated from ashes, houses all his treasures including neon signs and a full sized diner. When I heard he bought a lighthouse—well, it seemed like a very Dave-like thing to do. As the story behind Graves unfolded, I was fascinated by Dave’s scrappiness and determination as well as his ability to rally the help of hundreds of people from all walks of life. His story really is a celebration of the creativity, ingenuity and endurance that can take a crumbling obelisk and make it not only habitable but a work of art.

Like Dave, I didn’t consider myself a lighthouse enthusiast at first. Getting out there in rough seas, climbing the 35 foot laddered entrance, hauling gear as well as groceries in a small dinghy through choppy surf is not for the faint of heart, but the stunning view from the top balcony melts all of that arduous effort away. My cinematographer, Adam Mikaelian, and I stowed our equipment aboard the Miss Cuddy III and sailed out to Graves with Dave at the helm no matter what size the swells. To do this story justice required using all the cinematographic recording tools available: drone cameras, iphones, stop action film, archival footage, tracking down and interviewing all of the key players and many trips across the Boston Harbor. I have never been tested more and I’ve never been prouder to have chronicled this story of human resilience, craftsmanship, and community.

Project Stage

We are in the final stages of our edit and are looking for funds to help license necessary archival and stock footage as well as finish music, color and graphics.

The Team

Kim DiVincenzo - Director / Producer

Labor of Love: The Restoration of Graves Light marks Kim Divincenzo’s debut as a feature documentary director. With her professional background as a video and commercial director for two decades, she is adept at crafting narratives that resonate with audiences on an emotional level. This project gave her the opportunity to step far from her comfort zone, and is a testament to her resilience and unwavering commitment to her craft. To help tell this story in an authentic way she was given access to the Wallers, Bobby Sager, lighthouse engineer, Tim Nguyen, president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, Jeremy D'Entremont, Boston Globe reporter, Emily Sweeney, the town of Hull’s former Town Counsel, James Lampke and several friends and volunteers who participated in the restoration. After hearing the harrowing stories, meeting the folks that volunteered their time and tireless energy, and seeing the incredible craftsmanship of the work that was done, it became clear that she needed to bring this wild and inspiring story to light in a way that celebrates the creativity, ingenuity and the good old fashion New England grit that made it happen.

Adam Mikaelian - Director of Photography

Adam Mikaelian is an accomplished Director of Photography (DP) proudly based in Boston, Massachusetts. As a DP, Adam is passionate about capturing the beauty in the world and preserving it on film. His favorite projects are those about people and communities that strive to make a positive impact on our world and its inhabitants. He is dedicated to creating stunning visuals that engage an audience and best illustrate a story. His readiness to "send it" has taken him on an extraordinary journey of visual storytelling throughout the world. He is always up for an adventure to get the perfect shot be it skiing camera in hand or bootpacking up a mountain or straddling a boat flying across the Boston Harbor. No matter the location, for him it really is the people that make the experience.

David Dinisco- Editor

With decades of experience in almost every aspect of video production, David specializes in Creative Direction, Live Action Directing and Creative Editorial. His focus is primarily on short-form storytelling, but one of his most gratifying projects was an 80 minute documentary, a passion project about his parents, All Together. Labor of Love is his second feature length documentary.