Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
National Lighthouse Museum
An artist rendering of the future National Lighthouse Center and Museum
On the St. George waterfront, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, is the future site of the National Lighthouse Center and Museum.
This historic site was once home to the U.S. Lighthouse Service Depot which supplied
U.S. Lighthouses for more than a century beginning in 1862. Old photographs show
lightships and lighthouse tenders tied up at the pier, with buoys and supplies ready to load
on to the tenders.
Out of the rich history behind this site, a group of dedicated Lighthouse enthusiasts will
create the National Lighthouse Museum, which will celebrate America's lighthouse
history and heritage. The Museum will collect and display lighthouse artifacts, create an
archive and foster research of American lighthouse history. The Museum will also
feature educational programs, publications, films, festivals, living history, lighthouse
trails and conferences.
The 10 acre property includes an 850 foot pier and 56,200 sq. ft. of floor area within the
existing buildings, as well as 6,015 sq. ft. of underground vaults that were used to store
fuels. Of the six major buildings on the site, four are on the National Register of Historic
Places. One of these, the US Lighthouse Service Administration Building, is also a
designated New York City Landmark.
The pier projects out into the harbor some 850 feet from the main courtyard. From its
deck one can take in a panoramic view of the entire city from the Verrazano Bridge past
the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Robbins Reef Lighthouse to the Jersey
hills. Plans are to moor the museum's lightship here for museum visitation.
In addition to the existing buildings, the National Lighthouse Museum will feature the
Nantucket Lightship, which was built in 1936 and is the largest lightship still afloat in the
United States. The Nantucket will be permanently docked at Pier One. There are also
plans to place a lighthouse on the pier, and to turn the roof above the adjacent ferry
maintenance building into a roof garden and outdoor exhibit area. The pier may also be
used as a stop for a future New York Harbor boat tour.
While the site is under planning and construction, visitors can take a limited self-guided tour of the property and public pier. Informative signs have been placed around the site to provide information about the buildings, the property and the future museum.
Phone number: 718-556-1681
National Lighthouse Center and Museum Website:
www.lighthousemuseum.org
Illustration by Jorge Sosa