Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge gets $13 million restoration
The city is putting an initial $13 million into restoring Manhattan's only remaining historic lighthouse and the stretch of Fort Washington Park around it.
The Little Red Lighthouse, the 40-foot landmark at the foot of the George Washington Bridge in Washington Heights, will be restored with an initial $13 million in city money. The project was announced by New York City’s Historic House Trust.
The plan includes preserving the tower’s cast-iron structure, making it easier to reach and visit, and improving the surrounding section of Fort Washington Park. The preservation firm Henson Architecture is handling the design.
What the Little Red Lighthouse restoration includes
Along with repairs, the project calls for new safety features, clearer signs, better connections from public transit, upgrades for visitors with disabilities and more free public tours. It also adds historical and artistic interpretation and improvements to nearby park and recreation areas.
No construction schedule, completion date or total cost has been released, and design work is still underway. The trust is looking for more funding beyond the first $13 million to expand the landscape work and the visitor experience.
A Manhattan lighthouse saved by a children’s book
The tower was built in 1880 in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Its move to Manhattan came in 1921, when it was reassembled at Jeffrey’s Hook along the Hudson. A decade later the bridge opened above it, which eventually made its navigation role unnecessary, and the Coast Guard retired it in 1947. Facing demolition, it was rescued by a campaign from readers of the 1942 book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge” by Hildegarde H. Swift and Lynd Ward. It became city parkland in 1951 and is now the only historic lighthouse left in Manhattan.
“This beloved landmark tells a uniquely New York story,” said Giulietta Fiore, the trust’s executive director. Until the work moves ahead, the lighthouse can be explored through a new virtual 3D experience, and the trust’s “Letters to the Lighthouse” campaign is collecting New Yorkers’ memories of the site.
Quick answers
How much is the Little Red Lighthouse restoration?
The city is providing an initial $13 million. The total project cost has not been released, and the Historic House Trust is seeking more funding.
When will the Little Red Lighthouse restoration be finished?
No construction schedule or completion date has been announced. Design work is underway.
