Fire Island Lighthouse And Keepers Dwelling

This is a historic structure report about the Fire Island Lighthouse and Keepers Dwelling which guided vessels bound for New York Harbor for over 100 years.Today, the black and white striped lighthouse and stone keepers dwelling continue to welcome visitors but only by day. Both structures are inactive and serve as a remnant of their majestic and humble past.

The first Fire Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1826 after numerous shipwrecks along the barrier island. A replacement tower built in 1858 incorporated innovations in lighthouse design such as the Fresnel lens. Vessels anchored offshore, known as lightships, augmented the lighthouse for many years. The Coast Guard shut down the site in 1973. Through the efforts of the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and the National Park Service, the beautiful structure was meticulously restored and the tower relit in 1986. Along with a selection of wonderful color photographs depicting the grandeur of the lighthouse, author Bill Bleyer charts the history of Long Island's cherished Fire Island Lighthouse.

The most comprehensive, well-researched and generously illustrated volume of its kind on the subject, bringing over three centuries of Long Island’s great architectural heritage to life. Over 240 photographs, complete with authoritative, extensively detailed captions, present a wide range of structures—from simple lean-tos to distinguished contemporary buildings by such architects as Marcel Breuer, Frank Lloyd Wright, David L. Finci and others.