Buy a lighthouse!
The Associated Press reports that lighthouses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, and other states are being auctioned off by the General Services Administration (GSA), which aims to put the structures in the hands of individuals or nonprofit entities that can preserve them. This isn’t new – it’s been happening since 2000. Held annually, the 2023 auctions are offering a record 10 lighthouses—six for free, and four for public auction. Some of them come with their own islands.
The program is a result of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. Since its start, about 150 lighthouses have been transferred, 80 or so given away and another 70 auctioned, raising more than $10 million. The GSA is first offering them at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, educational agencies and community development organizations. If none of those wish to own the land, it may be auctioned to the general public. To be eligible, interested buyers must be able to demonstrate they can afford to maintain the historic property, present a plan on how it will be managed and preserved, and often allow the public to access it. See more about the process here (the brochure is really good).
Besides the above mentioned items, in most cases there are other big stipulations that make these properties a unique challenge. Commercial activities are almost always prohibited. Most have very stringent rules about how the property can be modified and require strict governmental adherence to historical preservation and environmental code. Many have government easements which allow Coast Guard, state agencies, etc to enter, maintain, change, or upgrade the lighting and other equipment as an official Aid to Navigation. Most have strict requirements on how they will be made available and maintained properly for educational, park, recreational, cultural, or historic preservation purposes. So in almost no cases can you renovate them to live in (unless they were that way already), make them an AirBnB, nor make money off of them.
Also note that some are very isolated or only reachable by boat. Many of these particularly isolated ones do not have electricity, water, or sewage that may require EPA reviews. If you read the descriptions, many also note the likely presence of lead based paints, asbestos, or other harmful products in and around the sites. Others need some substantial repair work. All of which will require historical and environmental reviews before work can begin.
Still, if you’re up for owning your own island or getaway and want to maintain a lighthouse, this might be your day! Read a sample lease here to learn what you’re getting yourself into.
You can see the listing of lighthouses here.
Or, go to the actual auction site: