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Want to Buy a Lighthouse?
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 17, 2010
Modified Aug 17, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 17, 2010
Modified Aug 17, 2010
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Here's your chance to live above it all in a seaside tower with spectacular views and round rooms, just off the coast of exotic Staten Island. Two decommissioned lighthouses are being auctioned off by the General Services Administration (GSA), which is starting the bidding next month at $5,000. A GSA spokeswoman tells the Staten Island Advance that several lighthouses auctioned in years past have been converted into private residences, where owners live out their days in sublime solitude, except for when they have to let repairmen in to do maintenance.
The oldest of the two lighthouses, the Old Orchard, is a three-story gem that was built in 1893 to mark the shallow area near a shoal of rocks in Lower New York Bay. The former keeper's quarters consists of about 1,000 square feet, with portholes! The five-story West Bank Lighthouse, located on a manmade island in Ambrose Channel, three miles off New Dorp Beach, comes with a charming a 100 feet long breakwater. But tidal surges are common!
These two lighthouses will remain active, with their lights operational. It costs a $20,000 deposit to register to bid, but that's a small price to pay for the opportunity to take a tour of each of the lighthouses, on September 1st.
Tagged
auction
lighthouse
staten island
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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