National Register of Historic Places

Buffalo Main LIght

Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Listed
July 18, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84002383

About this property

Buffalo (Main) Light is a lighthouse at the mouth of Buffalo River/Erie Canal, directly across from the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, New York. The lighthouse was established and lit in 1833 and was deactivated in 1914. The foundation material was stone molehead and the lighthouse was constructed out of limestone and cast iron. The shape of the tower was octagonal and was 60 feet (18 m) high. The lens installed in 1857 was a third order Fresnel lens. The lens was later removed to the Buffalo History Museum. This 60-foot-tall, octagonal limestone structure is the oldest still standing in its original location in the city of Buffalo. It replaced the original 1818 light on this site along the Lake Erie shore at the mouth of the Buffalo River. Presently, it is part of an outdoor museum located on the grounds of the United States Coast Guard Station. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2010, the Coast Guard announced it would relinquish 4.6 acres (1.9 ha) of its 31 acres (13 ha) on the point and Congressman Brian Higgins obtained over $6 million to reconfigure the Coast Guard station to allow public access to the lighthouse. In April 2011, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation approved a grant of $170,700 to repair and restore the lighthouse in anticipation of public tours. The work was completed in August 2011. Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0. Price, Scott T. "U. S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation: A Historical Bibliography". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957). Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3 Media related to Buffalo Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons Buffalo Main Light - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NY-60, "Buffalo Lighthouse, Buffalo Harbor, Buffalo River & Lake Erie, Buffalo, Erie County, NY", 2 photos, 7 measured drawings, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page Inventory of Historic Light Stations--New York--Buffalo (Main) Light Buffalo Lighthouse, Coast Guard Base across from the Erie Basin Marina - Buffalo as an Architectural Museum website

Location

Buffalo, Erie County, New York
42.88040, -78.89568

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Buffalo North Breakwater South End Light
Industrial
0 mi
USS CROAKER (submarine)
Industrial
0.7 mi
Buffalo Gas Light Company Works
Industrial
0.7 mi
CLARA BROWN (sloop)
Modern
0.8 mi
USS THE SULLIVANS (destroyer)
Industrial
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Burning of Buffalo and Black Rock
1813Early Republic
1 mi
Sortie from Fort Erie (Sep 17 1814)
1814Early Republic
2.2 mi
British Night Assault on Fort Erie (Aug 15 1814)
1814Early Republic
2.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Buffalo Main LIght listed on the National Register?

Buffalo Main LIght was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Buffalo Main LIght?

Buffalo Main LIght is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Buffalo Main LIght?

The period of significance for Buffalo Main LIght is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Buffalo Main LIght?

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