{"nrhp_refnum":"72000876","name":"Lighthouse","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Welfare Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.77294907900006,"lon":-73.94001020299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-03-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small octagonal granite lighthouse of about 50 feet at the northeastern tip of Welfare Island (formerly Blackwell's Island) in New York City, dated to about 1842.","why_significant":"The nomination points to its architecture, including rock-faced local granite, seashell corbels and a Gothic-arched gable over the door. It also cites its transportation role as a lighthouse and a legend that a mental patient, John McCarthy, built it from the stones of a fort he had erected.","narrative":"At the northeastern tip of Welfare Island, once known as Blackwell's Island, stands a small octagonal lighthouse about 50 feet tall, dated to around 1842. It was once on its own tiny island, linked to the main island by a bridge. Its walls are rock-faced granite quarried locally, like many other 19th-century structures on the island. Details include seashell corbels under the cornice, a glass and steel light on a balcony with eight brackets, and a doorway topped by a stepped gable incised with a Gothic arch. A flagstone yard and two stone bollards frame the approach. Local legend says a mental patient at the nearby asylum, John McCarthy, built it from the stones of a fort he had raised against a feared British invasion, and an inscribed stone at its base supports the tale. It was recognized for its architecture and its role in transportation. At the time of nomination it stood unused, awaiting restoration.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (c.1842)","architect_builder":"John McCarthy (per legend and a stone marker at the base)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition but altered, and unused pending restoration.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.046759-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/72000876.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000876/5361df56b6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000876/5361df56b6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Rhododendrites","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackwell_Island_Light_(41791).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhododendrites</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:Blackwell_Island_Light_(41791).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319694","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwell_Island_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3378188"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/lighthouse-72000876/"}