The lighthouse is located on the northwest tip of Osmussaare on the edge of the limestone strip and is an important landmark along the important waterway. The need to build a lighthouse on Osmussaari is mentioned in sources as early as 1648. In 1759, in Rear Admiral S. Mordvinov's presentation to the Admiralty College about the situation of lighthouses in the Gulf of Finland, it is again proposed to build a lighthouse on Osmussaari, as the island is not well visible even during the day. The tower was completed in 1765. From 1804 it is known about the existence of a tower with an open fire platform 10 fathoms high. In the same year, it was built higher and a lantern room with catoptric lighting devices was installed. By 1842, the tower had become vulnerable to collapse due to the erosion of the bank slope and was demolished. A temporary 18m high wooden lighthouse was built 128 m away from it and the construction of a new limestone lighthouse was also started.
The tower with a round ground plan and an internal stone staircase was completed in 1850. In 1869, the lighthouse supervisor's residence and sauna were completed. In 1871, the lighthouse was red in color with a white cornice above. The permanent light with a circular sector was 29 meters above sea level and was visible for 11 miles. In 1875, the tower was built 5 m higher and painted in black and white stripes. In 1880, the tower was switched to kerosene light and a kerosene barn was built. In 1901, a stone generator building was built and the tower received electric light. In 1903, a stone residence was built for motorists, a year later the fog siren started working. The tower was damaged in World War I, but not irreversibly. However, all the service buildings were destroyed in the fire, only the stone siren building survived. A new residential building was completed in 1923.
On December 2, 1941, retreating Soviet forces destroyed the lighthouse. In 1946, a 28m high lighthouse in the shape of a wooden trunk pyramid was built. The new 35 m high reinforced concrete lighthouse was completed in 1954 and has the most effective architectural solution among modern ones. In 1998, a comprehensive repair was carried out and the lantern room was replaced. Of the older service buildings, a kerosene warehouse and a cellar from the end of the 19th century and a machine building from the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved. Residential buildings and warehouses were built during the Soviet era.
