{"nrhp_refnum":"05000347","name":"Race Rock Light Station","other_names":["Race Rock Lighthouse"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"0.6 mi. SW of Race Point","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fishers Island","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":41.24561331800004,"lon":-72.04646125899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-04-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Maritime History","Transportation","Architecture","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An offshore granite lighthouse on a submerged rocky ledge at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, about six-tenths of a mile southwest of Race Point on Fishers Island, Suffolk County, New York. Construction ran from 1871 to 1878.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under three criteria. It has been an active aid to navigation since 1879 and was one of the last eastern offshore lights built on a solid masonry base. It is linked to engineer, artist and author Francis Hopkinson Smith, who built it. It is also a well-preserved example of Gothic Revival lighthouse design, unusual among lighthouses of its era.","narrative":"Race Rock Light Station is a granite lighthouse built on a submerged ledge at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, southwest of Race Point on Fishers Island, New York. Construction began in 1871 and finished in 1878, and the light first shone on New Year's Day 1879. A concrete and cut-stone foundation supports an oval granite pier, which carries a two-and-one-half-story keepers' dwelling with an attached tower and lantern. Its Gothic Revival styling, with steep roof and arched windows, set it apart from most lighthouses of the period. Civil engineer Francis Hopkinson Smith led the work, which took seven years for the foundation alone because of currents, storms and ice. Smith later built the Block Island breakwater and the base of the Statue of Liberty, and wrote novels drawing on the project. The station remains largely unaltered apart from roofing, windows, doors and navigation equipment. It was automated in 1978 and still operates as a Coast Guard aid to navigation.","period_of_significance":"1871 to 1955","architect_builder":"Francis Hopkinson Smith","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and maintained as an automated aid to navigation with a light and fog signal; automated in 1978. Historic integrity described as very good.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.18694-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AK/05000347.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000347/f241d69fe4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000347/f241d69fe4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Christine from L.I.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Race_Rock_Light,_north.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Christine from L.I.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Race_Rock_Light,_north.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75325197","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Rock_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7278919"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/race-rock-light-station-05000347/"}