Fire Island Light Station Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Fire Island Light Station Historic District covers about 98 acres of barrier island on Long Island's south shore, within Fire Island National Seashore. Its dominant feature is the black-and-white banded brick lighthouse tower, rising roughly 150 feet above a flat, low-vegetation landscape. The district has two main clusters of resources: the light station, with its keeper's quarters, terrace, boat house and archaeological remains of the first 1826 lighthouse, and a northern group tied to the Fire Island Wireless Telegraph Station of 1906 and the Radio Compass House of 1914. Those include barracks, garages, storage buildings, a pier and a boardwalk. The original 1981 listing covered only the tower, quarters and terrace; the expansion adds the related resources. Together they illustrate navigation aids for ships approaching New York Harbor, naval and Coast Guard use of the site, and early radio communication, over a period running from 1826 to 1960. Fifteen resources contribute and two do not.
Significance in brief: The boundary increase expands the 1981 listing, which covered only the lighthouse tower, keeper's quarters and terrace, to include related resources of the light station and the wireless and compass stations. It is significant for maritime history, transportation, communications, commerce, military history, engineering, architecture and archaeology. The district documents navigation aids guiding ships into New York Harbor and early radio and naval communications.
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 09001288, listed January 29, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Burma Rd., Fire Island |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | January 29, 2010 |
| Reference number | 09001288 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1826-1960 |
| Architect / builder | James C. Duane - designer/construction supervisor; James St. Claire Morton - designer/construction supervisor |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Gothic Revival; Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Maritime History, Transportation, Communications, Commerce, Military, Engineering, Architecture, Historic - Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned and managed by the National Park Service within Fire Island National Seashore; current functions include park landscape, museum and water-related transportation. |
| Acreage | 98 |
| Coordinates | 40.63079, -73.21939 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 09001288.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.