One of America’s oldest operating lighthouses will be undergoing renovations.

The 250-year-old Sandy Hook Lighthouse will be closed to tourists for at least seven months while the work is being done. The work begins Sept. 25 and should last through April.

Extensive work will be done to the inside and outside of the lighthouse.

“You’ve got wind out here, we are surrounded by water, so it's open to winds,” says park ranger and historian Tom Hoffman. “Hot summers and cold winters here. So natural elements could start breaking down your tower. If you don't keep after it, it will fall."

The last time the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was closed to visitors for repairs was back in 1999 and early 2000.

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse was built in 1764 by Isaac Conro and is maintained by the National Park Service at the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area.

The visitors' center will remain open during the repair work.

Go HERE for an extended interview with Hoffman.