{"nrhp_refnum":"84002067","name":"Dunkirk Light","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Dunkirk Harbor","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dunkirk","county":"Chautauqua County","state":"NY","lat":42.49392093200004,"lon":-79.35381603199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A lighthouse station on Point Gratiot at the entrance to Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, New York, built 1875-1876 with a stone tower and attached brick keeper's dwelling.","why_significant":"The form states that the lighthouse played an important role in the development of transportation on Lake Erie. It guided ships to Dunkirk Harbor, which historically served as a refuge for boats travelling between Buffalo and Erie. The tower still retains its original 3rd-order Fresnel lens.","narrative":"Dunkirk Light is a lighthouse on Point Gratiot, about 2,000 feet west of the entrance to Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie. A light was first established there in 1837 and worked with a pierhead beacon to guide vessels into a harbor that served as a refuge for boats traveling between Buffalo and Erie. After the first tower was reported in precarious condition in 1874, construction of the present lighthouse began in June 1875. The square stone tower, 61 feet 3 inches tall, was finished in 1876 and first exhibited its 3rd-order fixed white light on July 1 of that year. A cast-iron spiral stair leads to a ten-sided lantern. A covered passage links the tower to a two-story, eight-room red brick keeper's dwelling in the Stick Style. A square iron oil house and a barn also stand on the site. The light is now automated and still shines through its original Fresnel lens.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Stick Style (keeper's dwelling)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Automated light still in use as a coast and harbor light; condition rated good, with interior, exterior and environs intact. Keeper's house partially remodeled for Coast Guard Auxiliary and ham radio club use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.671913-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/89/8907/28890789/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/84002067.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890789","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/chautauqua-county/dunkirk-light-84002067/"}