STATEWIDE – Even if you live on the waterfront in Hudson County, you may not always feel close to the sea. But apparently, you can buy a lighthouse in Central Jersey from the government, after they couldn’t find a government buyer.
And you have a choice. Two separate lighthouses are available.
The first one is described like this:
The U.S. General Services Administration announced the sale of Great Beds Lighthouse, located in Raritan Bay, Middlesex County, one mile east from the shoreline of South Amboy, NJ.
The property was first made available at no cost to other federal, state and local governments, as well as non-profit organizations under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 470. No suitable steward was identified through that process and it is now available to the public for purchase. The online auction begins March 14, 2011. Interested parties can place bids by visiting www.auctionrp.com.
Built in 1880, the lighthouse is a five-story, cast iron structure with a conical caisson foundation that rises 15 feet above sea level. The foundation has an overall height of 30 feet and a 30 foot base. The property has a white, conical tower with a decagonal lantern 47 feet tall. The tower is surrounded by an open air main gallery that is four feet wide. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and must be maintained in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the deed.
And the second one is this one:
The U.S. General Services Administration announced the sale of Romer Shoal Light Station, located 3.8 miles north of Sandy Hook, Monmouth County, New Jersey in Lower New York Bay, on the north edge of Swash Channel at the entrance of New York Harbor.
The online auction begins March 14, 2011. Interested parties can place bids by visiting www.auctionrp.com.
First lit in 1898, the light is a 54-foot “sparkplug” type lighthouse structure with a cast iron tower and a cylindrical, concrete caisson foundation which rises 10 feet above sea level. It is accessible by boat only. The light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and must be maintained in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the deed.
So we may not have a bridge to sell you, but the government does have a pair of historic lighthouses.
You may have to contact your local Zoning Board to find out just where you can put them.