The Lamp of Learning is part of the original street plan for the City of Redondo Beach in the form of the spirit of Chautauqua learning. Resembling the shape of Lake Chautauqua, the building plan was designed by William Hammond Hall and printed in 1887. As the California State Engineer, Hall who also designed Golden Gate Park in San Francisco as well as Vincent Park which serves as the base of the Lamp of Learning. Chautauqua is derived from the Iroquois word for “two moccasins tied together,” “bag tied at the middle,” “where the fish are taken out,” or “jumping fish," but no precise translation exists from Iroquois.