Buffalo North Breakwater South End Light
Why it's listed
Erected in 1903, this 29-foot beacon marks the north side of the main entrance to Buffalo Harbor on Lake Erie. It is one of two bottle-shaped beacons in the harbor. The tower is made of boiler plate, 3/8 inch thick at the base and 1/4 inch at the slender neck, and measures about 10 feet across at the bottom and 2 feet 3 inches at the top. Four cast-iron port windows and a curved iron door distinguish it, and a boiler-plate dome forms the white-painted roof. It rests on a circular concrete base on the pierhead, supported by a stone-filled crib set on bedrock. A sixth-order Fresnel lens originally produced a fixed red light, first shown on 1 September 1903, colored by a ruby chimney over the oil lamp. The keeper of the Buffalo Main Light tended it. Around 1960 a battery-operated green lamp replaced the earlier equipment. The beacon is recorded as important to Buffalo's growth as a port.
Significance in brief: The document describes it as one of two bottle-shaped beacons in Buffalo Harbor and says it played an important role in the development of Buffalo as a port. Its boiler-plate construction and its use as a harbor entrance marker are the features the record emphasizes.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83001669, listed August 4, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | Buffalo Harbor, Buffalo |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | August 4, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001669 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Bottle-shaped beacon |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and altered; still used as a harbor beacon, with the exterior noted as intact. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.88040, -78.89568 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83001669.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4985802
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.