Two suitors seek South Buffalo Lighthouse
Two local maritime groups are competing to gain control of the historic South Buffalo Lighthouse.
The Buffalo Lighthouse Association and the MAIN (Maritime Activity Interyouth Network) have both filed letters of intent with the federal agency that is handling disposal of the long inactive beacon tower.
Both organizations met a Sept. 23 deadline for nonprofit groups or government agencies to signal interest in owning the 105-year-old lighthouse, which is situated on Stony Point, at the tip of the former Bethlehem Steel site.
The letters of intent will block the General Services Administration from selling the lighthouse via a public, online auction.
Buffalo Lighthouse Association President Tom Johnston said his group’s goals are restoration and public access for the circa-1903 tower, which is accessible only by boat.
“Our objective would be to restore it to its original condition following all the required state and federal historic guidelines.” Johnston said.
The group would then open the site to visitors to provide a lesson on turn-of-the-century lighthousetechnology and the bigger story of Buffalo’s marine history.
“It’s not the easiest place to get to, but we think it could be a wonderful addition to the growing number of attractions on the Buffalo waterfront,” Johnston said.
The MAIN group has a similar plan for the lighthouse, which has sat dark since the U. S. Coast Guard began using a pole light to mark the outer harbor entrance in 1988.
“We want to restore it, make it safe to bring people out there, and use it as a marine education tool,” said Bill Zimmerman, the group’s executive director. “I’d love to see groups of kids and adults shuttled out there on a water taxi.”
The U. S. Coast Guard turned the lighthouse over to the GSA for disposal in August. Federal regulations governing lighthouse decommissioning give governmental and non-profit organizations first dibs. If no takers step forward, the general public can bid to buy the unique properties.
While its concrete and steel exterior is a bit dowdy, the interior of the 43-foot-tall lighthouse is surprisingly charming. Its inside walls are faced in natural wood beadboard and a bank of diamond-patterned window panes graces its top.
The next step in the acquisition process is completion of a lengthy application, which includes submission of an engineering study, as well as detailed restoration and reuse plans.
“Once we get an acknowledgment the GSA, we’ll have about a month to complete the application documents. Then they have 90 days to review it and make a decision, so we should know where we stand early next year,” Johnston said.
Williamsville-based International Chimney Co., nationally-recognized experts in lighthouse restoration and relocation, has offered to assist the Buffalo group in preparing the application.
Johnston said the gratis work will save his organization as much as $15,000 in engineering fees and put in a position to get to work on the site if the application is approved.
Zimmerman said his group has also received a pledge of no-fee engineering services, and hopes to bring the City of Buffalo into the picture.
While the Buffalo Lighthouse Association and MAIN are currently competitors, both entities see potential for a partnership.
“I never thought of this as a competitive thing. My gut feeling is that we’ll end up doing this together,” Zimmerman said.
Johnston also said the two groups seem to have mutual goals.
“I met with Bill a few weeks ago and can see how their educational and operational plans fit within our preservation goals. He didn’t put anything on the table, but we appear to be going in the same direction,” Johnston said.
The lighthouse association is best known for its work to restore the circa-1833 Buffalo Lighthouse, located on the Coast Guard station at the tip of Fuhrmann Boulevard. The group has raised some $400,000 to preserve that historic site.
MAIN, a not-for-profit group that is the parent corporation of Seven Seas Sailing School, had previously lobbied the Coast Guard to gain access to the site for its education programs.
