Buy Your Very Own Lighthouse

I get updates from Historic Properties when new properties are listed. When I opened my email and saw the following set of listings, I couldn't help but notice all the lighthouses; and lighthouses are not something I've ever seen listed before, so to see so many was even more of a surprise.

These lighthouses reminded me of a movie I saw recently and the name of it escapes me.  There was a conservative man and a free-spirited woman who met each other and fell in love.  They each had a lot of children and they got married and moved into a lighthouse.

If you've ever wanted to own your own lighthouse, here's your opportunity.  Each one of them is to be sold by bid with a minimum starting bid of $10,000 or $20,000.  I wonder what they'll sell for in the end.  Here's the information for each one.

The West Bank Light Station c. 1901
Staten Island, New York
To be sold by bid with a minimum bid of $20,000

The West Bank Light Station was built in 1901. It is located offshore in Ambrose Channel in the Lower New York Bay of Richmond County, New York. The nearest city is Staten Island, New York.

The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as an offshore navigational aid for vessels passing between the Atlantic Ocean and New York Harbor. It is an active solar-powered navigational aid with a modern solar array and fog signal horn mounted on the southern side of the property.

The brown five-story cast iron cylindrical tower is 55 feet tall and sits on a black caisson foundation which is 33 feet in diameter. The interior of the former keeper’s dwelling has two floors with approximately 1500 square feet of space. The tower includes a watch room, deck and lantern. The property sits on a manmade island and includes a breakwater which extends westward approximately 100 feet from the foundation.

Contact: Meta Cushing, GSA Realty Specialist
617-565-5823
Property Details at GSA
Property Details at Historic Properties

The Borden Flats Lighthouse c. 1881
Fall River, Massachusetts
To be sold by bid with a minimum bid of $10,000

The Borden Flats lighthouse is an offshore lighthouse constructed on a submerged reef. It is located near Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay and is east of the Braga Bridge near the city of Fall River.

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is a 50 foot-high cast iron and brick spark plug-style light tower constructed in 1881 and built atop a granite caisson. It consists of three floors with a total area of approximately 1000 square feet.

A site inspection will be held on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 10 am. The site inspection is open to registered bidders only. Bidders wishing to attend the site inspection must register and submit a site inspection waiver by Wednesday, July 21, 2010. Please contact Lawanda Maryland for more information.

Contact: John Dugan, GSA Realty Specialist
617-565-5700
Property Details at GSA
Property Details at Historic Properties

Old Orchard Light Station c. 1893
Staten Island, New York
To be sold by bid with a minimum bid of $20,000

Old Orchard Light Station is located offshore in Gedney Channel in the Lower New York Bay of Richmond County, New York. It is approximately three miles from New Dorp Beach on Staten Island, New York.

The property was built in 1893 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It serves as a navigational aid marking a shoal of rocks at the southeast end of Old Orchard Shoal in Lower New York Bay.

It stands in 17 feet of water on a 0.72 acre of submerged land. The property is an active solar-powered navigational aid with a white flashing light visible for seven miles in clear weather. There is no fog horn signal. Access is by watercraft only. There is a steel ladder and catwalk for access from a boat onto the property.

The white and black three-story 35-foot cast iron conical tower sits on a caisson foundation with protective riprap and breakwater. The tower is topped by a watch room and octagonal lantern. The interior former keeper’s quarters consist of an estimated 1,000 square feet of space with porthole-style windows. A portion of the interior is lined with brick.

Contact: Meta Cushing, GSA Realty Specialist
617-565-5823
Property Details at GSA
Property Details at Historic Properties

Latimer Reef Light Station c. 1804
Fishers Island Sound, New York
To be sold by bid with a minimum bid of $10,000

Latimer Reef Light Station is located offshore in Fisher’s Island Sound of Suffolk County, New York, one mile northwest of East Point on Fisher’s Island. The nearest city is Stonington, Connecticut. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Property is a 46-foot four-story cast iron and brick spark plug-style tower with a one-story watch room and decagonal lantern. It was constructed in 1804 and lit in 1884. The exterior is painted white with a reddish brown stripe around the third story. The foundation materials are cast iron and concrete caisson supported by riprap.

Site Inspection of the Latimer Reef Light House will occur on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 9 am.  The boat will be leaving for the inspection from Noank, Connecticut.  Only registered bidders will be able to participate in this inspection.  Those making the inspection trip need to email for a waiver which must be signed prior to the inspection trip.

Contact: Giselle Rubiera, GSA
617-565-5841
Property Details at GSA
Property Details at Historic Properties

For each of the lighthouses, please see the Office of Real Property Disposal of the USA General Services Administration for bidding instructions.  Historic covenants will be in the deed as well as aid to navigation easements for the United States Coast Guard.