{"nrhp_refnum":"06001230","name":"West Bank Light Station","other_names":["West Bank Range Front Light","West Bank Light"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"In lower New York Bay, 3.3 mi. E of New Dorp Beach","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Dorp Beach","county":"Staten Island","state":"NY","lat":40.53809202300005,"lon":-74.04267077899993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-01-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Maritime History","Transportation","Architecture","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An offshore cast iron \"spark plug\" lighthouse in Lower New York Bay, about 3.3 miles east of New Dorp Beach, Staten Island. It was built in 1901 and raised by two stories in 1908.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a surviving example of the spark plug lighthouse type, serving as the front light of a range marking part of the Ambrose Channel. It also documents the Lighthouse Service's keeper life and equipment testing at the station, including early incandescent oil vapor lamps, plus the 1908 heightening.","narrative":"West Bank Light Station is an offshore lighthouse standing in about 21 feet of water in Lower New York Bay, roughly 3.3 miles east of New Dorp Beach on Staten Island. Built in 1901 and made two stories taller in 1908, it has a cast iron caisson foundation 33 feet across, filled with concrete and ringed by riprap, with a conical iron tower above it. A watch room and lantern crown the structure. Its profile fits the \"spark plug\" lighthouse type. It serves as the front light of a range marking part of the Ambrose Channel and is paired with the Staten Island Range Rear Light. Records describe keepers and assistants who lived in isolation on the station, a fog signal added in 1901, and an early trial of incandescent oil vapor lamps in 1904. The light is now automated, powered by solar panels, and owned by the Coast Guard. The tower still looks much as it did after 1908, though its original gallery awning has been removed.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated as an automated aid to navigation; reached only by boat. Interior paint is flaking and some fittings are in poor condition.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.664091-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AK/06001230.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001230/394a8f31d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06001230/394a8f31d9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Bank_(NY)_Light.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Bank_(NY)_Light.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75325143","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1581328"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/staten-island/west-bank-light-station-06001230/"}