{"nrhp_refnum":"79003796","name":"Hudson/Athens Lighthouse","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S of Middle Ground Flats in Hudson River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hudson","county":"Columbia County","state":"NY","lat":42.25178228200008,"lon":-73.80856527199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-story red brick lighthouse and keeper's dwelling with an attached square tower, built in 1874 on a limestone pier in the Hudson River between Hudson and Athens, New York.","why_significant":"It was built after a survey of the Middle Ground Flats, a long-standing hazard to ships, and was one of the last family-station lighthouses on the upper Hudson. Its pier was shaped to deflect river ice, an improvement over problems at Esopus Meadows. It is described as the most elegant of the Hudson lighthouses, with well-crafted Second Empire detailing.","narrative":"Rising from a limestone pier in the Hudson River south of the Middle Ground Flats, this lighthouse marks the channel between the city of Hudson and Athens. Built in 1874, it is a one-and-a-half-story red brick dwelling with a mansard roof, stone lintels and quoins, and a square tower on its west side topped by a lantern forty-eight feet above the water. The pier builders were Powley and Gage of Hudson, and the dwelling was built by Noone and Madden of Kingston. A survey of the area prompted construction because the shoals had long endangered ships. As one of the last family stations on the upper Hudson, its design is believed to reflect lessons from earlier lighthouses; the pier is shaped so drifting ice strikes an extended section rather than the foundation. Its Second Empire detailing has been well maintained. The station closed in 1954, and the light and fog signal were later automated.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; builders: pier by Powley and Gage of Hudson; dwelling by Noone and Madden of Kingston","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Station closed in 1954; the light and fog signal were later automated and the light remains operational under Coast Guard use. Condition described as very good, with some plaster fallen from interior walls.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.245453-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/79003796.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003796/097ad77efd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003796/097ad77efd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.5","author":"User:Kadin2048","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hudson-Athens_2006.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Kadin2048</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hudson-Athens_2006.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75312417","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%E2%80%93Athens_Lighthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5929090"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/columbia-county/hudson-athens-lighthouse-79003796/"}