CONEY ISLAND (NORTONS POINT)

Type:
Year Established:
1890
Existing:
Yes
Source:
LL-1908
Coney Island NY 1999 Mike & Carol McKinney.jpg
Download:
File Type:
jpg (image/jpeg)
Photo Date:
1999
Photo Credit:
Mike and Carol McKinney
Photo Courtesy of:
US Lighthouse Society
Collection / Donor:

LOCATION

Location:
NEW YORK HARBOR MAIN CHANNEL
Latitude:
40° 34.6'
Longitude:
74° 0.7'
City / Town:
BROOKLYN
U.S. State:
New York
Location County:
KINGS
Country:
United States

OWNER & ACCESS

Open to Public:
No
Light List Data:
  1. CONEY ISLAND (NORTONS POINT)
Light list data courtesy Gary Riemenschneider

STRUCTURE

Year Tower Established:
1920
Tower Construction Material:
STEEL
Tower Foundation:
STEEL PILE
Height of light above mean high water, in feet:
75 feet above water
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
61 feet
Tower Shape:
SKELETAL
Tower Daymark:
White
Fog Signal Building?:
No
Keeper's Quarters?:
Yes
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1896
Keeper's Quarters Style:
COTTAGE
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
WOOD

OPTICS

Active Aid to Navigation?:
Yes
Current Optic:
190 MM
Original Optic Type:
FOURTH ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed:
1890
Private Aid:
No
Year Automated:
1989
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Comments:

Historical Information:

  • 1889: Congress approved $25,000 to build two range lights at the western end of Coney Island. However, when the Lighthouse Board tried to buy the necessary land for the new lighthouse, the property owners asked for twice the estimated value of the land. The properties were condemned instead and obtained for $3,500.
  • 1890: The original beacon was first lit, it was a fourth-order Fresnel lens powered by kerosene, showing a flashing red light.
  • 1895: That light was dismantled only six years later and replaced by a new skeleton tower. 
  • 1915: A 600-foot stone wall was put up for protection, but a large storm six months later undermined much of the wall.
  • 1918: The fog bell building fell over into the water. Another skeleton tower for a fog bell was built and surrounded by several tons of riprap.
  • 1989: That lens was removed when the station was automated, and is now on display at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C.
Entered by:
t.wheeler
Entered Date:
Jul 21, 2017