Genesee Lighthouse
Also known as: Genesse Lighthouse and Keeper's House
Why it's listed
On a bluff above the mouth of the Genesee River, in Rochester's Charlotte neighborhood, stands an octagonal limestone lighthouse completed in 1822. The tower is eighty feet tall, with walls six feet thick at the base that are now covered in ivy. An iron door opens to a spiral iron stairway and a ladder leading to an observation platform. Beside it is a brick keeper's house of 1863, which replaced a smaller stone house. It is two and a half stories, three bays wide, with stone lintels, a single chimney and a gable roof. The federal government bought the site in 1822 for a port surrounded by marshland and a partly blocked river entrance, and William Carroll built the light for $5,000. Later piers carrying lights and fog bells proved more effective, yet the lighthouse operated until 1902. It is valued as an early New York light station and a landmark of Lake Ontario navigation and the Port of Rochester.
Significance in brief: The 1822 tower illustrates the earliest vintage of light stations built in New York State. It remains a landmark in the history of Great Lakes navigation and of the Port of Rochester. It is one of the surviving Lake Ontario lighthouses on the American shore.
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 74001259, listed August 13, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 70 Lighthouse St., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | August 13, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001259 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th and 20th centuries; specific dates 1822 (tower) and 1863 (house) |
| Architect / builder | William Carroll, a Braddock's Bay resident, built the limestone light |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered, on its original site. The tower operated until 1902, and the 1863 keeper's house is still an official Coast Guard residence. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 43.25284, -77.61084 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 74001259.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5086268
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.