Three Great Lakes Lighthouses For Sale
By Sue Clark on Aug 25, 2008 in Lighthouses For Sale 
Print This Post
Conneaut Lighthouse will be up for auction again in Spring of 2010. The purchaser, Gary Zaremba, did not get the required bottomlands lease from the state of Ohio. Watch this site for more information for when the auction draws near.
Even though two lighthouse auctions (West Bank and Old Orchard) are stuck in a bidding war, while two others (Sharp’s Island and Borden Flats) are open, but without much action on them yet, the General Service Administration is getting ready to put three more lighthouses up for sale to the public, all of them in the Great Lakes. Two are in Ohio and one is in Minnesota. As always, the Invitations For Bids are in PDF format. The links will open in a new window, or you can right click and save them to read at your leisure. You will need Adobe Reader to view them.
Cleveland Harbor East Breakwater Light (Lake Erie)
A 31 foot white cast iron tower perched on a concrete platform attached to a stone pier, it is only accessible by water. The pier doesn’t attach to land. It was offered under the National Lighthouse Preservation Act last year, but no non-profit or municipality stepped forward to adopt it. The light was temporarily removed in 2005 to rebuild the pier underneath it.
The opening date for this auction is September 9, 2008, at 15:00 (3:00 p.m.) EDT. The minimum deposit on this will be $5,000, with the minimum opening bid the same ($5,000). Bid increments will be $5,000. Here is the Invitation For Bids, and there is also an addendum to it, specifying that its exterior cannot be changed under Ohio’s historic preservation rules. Inspection date (only registered bidders) is set for September 6, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
Conneaut Harbor West Breakwater Light (Lake Erie)
A beautiful 70 foot square cylindrical Art Moderne steel tower on a square base. It’s mounted on a stone foundation at the end of the breakwater. It’s accessible by walking out on the pier from west of the entrance to Conneaut Harbor. It is the second lighthouse in this location, having replaced a large masonry lighthouse in 1905. The lantern was removed in 1972, but is still active. 
Opening date for this auction is also September 9, 2008, at 14:00 EDT. It will cost you $5,000 to register as a bidder, and the bid increments will also be $5,000. And the opening bid will most likely also be $5,000. The inspection date for registered bidders is on September 5, 2008, at 14:00 (2:00 pm) EDT. Invitation For Bids.
Duluth South Harbor Breakwater Inner Light (Lake Superior)
A 67 foot square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern, double gallery, and central cylinder to access the top, this active lighthouse is adjacent to the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. It is easily accessed by walking the breakwater. The original Fourth Order Fresnel is on display at the Lake Superior Marine Museum.
This lighthouse will go up for bidding on September 16, 2008, at 14:00 (2:00 pm) EDT. Inspection is set for September 11, 2008 from 17:00 to 18:30 local time (5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.). Local time is CDT. This lighthouse will also go in $5,000 increments, and you will need to deposit $5,000 with GSA before being allowed to bid. Starting bid will most likely be $5,000. Invitation For Bids.
More Information
If you need more information before possible bidding on these orphan lighthouses, the contact person for all three is:
Arthur Ullenberg
arthur.ullenberg@gsa.gov
(312) 353-6039
Photo Credits:
- Cleveland East and Duluth Harbor by CWBash. Some rights reserved.
- Conneaut Harbor by mozart 45 on Community Webshots.
Keep up with Lighthouse News. Get articles by 
Email or in a 
Reader.
2 Comment(s)
By WILLIAM W. WHITE on Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
I AM VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN PURCHASING A LIGHTHOUSE TO RENOVATE OR RESTORE FOR MY WIFE AND I TO LIVE IN. PLEASE SEND ME BID DOCUMENTS FOR THE THREE GREAT LAKE LIGHTHOUSES GOING UP FOR AUCTION AS WELL AS DESCRIPTIONS OF DWELLINGS , ACRTEAGE , AND NEEDED RENOVATIONS. SNAIL MAIL TO;
WILLIAM W. (BILL) WHITE
24 ANN ST. APT 1
MIDDLETOWN PA. 17057
717-329-8191
By renallie de leon on Jul 24, 2010 | Reply
I just the Lake Erie and it is really beautiful view from afar. I am too late to bod for this.