Blackwell Island Lighthouse, ca. 1970. Constructed in 1872, by the Board of Governors of the Commission of Charities and Correction, the lighthouse was rendered in stone that was quaried on the island by inmates of the nearby Asylum under the direction of supervising architect was James Renwick, Jr. (of St. Patrick's Cathedral fame). The lighthouse originally sat on a piece of land connected to the main island by a bridge. Today, it is firmly attached, as the northern point of the now-named Roosevelt Island.

New York City has 520 miles of waterfront (which is more than Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco put together)! Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors, with rivers that separate and surround its land, the waterways of the city have long played a major role in the development and growth of the city. The safe passage of goods, fuel, and passengers has always been of paramount importance and as such dozens of lighthouses have been erected on land and at sea, used to aid in maritime navigation. This lists highlights a few of historic lighthouses that have illuminated the waterways of the city.

New York has an amazing architectural legacy that surrounds us each and every day. The Landmarks Conservancy enjoys highlighting a different architectural function, type, or style each month of the City we love. New York is situated on one of the largest natural harbors in the world, and once required many lighthouses to aid maritime navigators. In July, we’ll shine the spotlight on these beacons which have played an important role in the security and well-being of New York and the country. Located on the former site of the United States Lighthouse Service’s General Depot in St. George, Staten Island, the National Lighthouse Museum educates visitors about the history and technology of our nation’s lighthouses. To learn more, visit our Tourist In Your Own Town video: https://nylandmarks.org/explore-ny/national-lighthouse-museum

"The lighthouse stands at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. Designed by James Renwick and built in 1872, the lighthouse is 50 feet tall with an octagonal shaft, and built of hewn blocks of gneiss in Gothic style. It is an imposing structure... Legend has it that before the lighthouse was built the outcropping was the site of a small fort and house belonging to the fort’s builder and who thereafter became the de facto caretaker of the property. To build the fort, the builder used materials found nearby and which were common on the island: clay, rock, dirt, and tall grasses. To get the materials to construction site on the outcropping, the builder faced an engineering challenge: the watery gap between island and outcropping. He solved his problem by creating a landfill using the clay, till, and rock. The power to accomplish all this work was supplied by the builder’s own brute strength and intelligence, working alone and by his own hand. It took determination, imagination, and time. Time was something he had in spades, as he was an inmate at the Lunatic Asylum, located just down the road apiece from the fort. His name was Thomas Maxey." Read this post in its original context here.