Two Great Lakes Lighthouses Sold
By Sue Clark on Dec 2, 2008 in Lighthouses For Sale 
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Very Low Sale Price On Both
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.
Two of the three lighthouse auctions on the Great Lakes have ended today, with buyers getting quite a steal. Duluth (MN) Harbor South Breakwater Inner Light was the best performer for the government, going for $31,000 to the bidder with the screen name splco. The other light selling today was the Cleveland (OH) Harbor East Breakwater Light. That went for a mere $10,000 to the bidder calling him/herself dimlight. Only Conneaut (OH) Harbor West Breakwater Light remains in play right now, with the addition of a late bidder. Dimlight is also high bidder on this one, with the current offer at $15,000. Still very low for the unusual light, which didn’t have suitable takers when it was offered last year to non-profits.
Update: All the Great Lakes Lighthouses have been sold. See this link for more information.
Duluth Light
Located adjacent to the Aerial Lift Bridge, and in operation since 1889, this skeletal steel tower won’t make for much of a summer home, as it’s part of a pair of lights. The other (Outer Light) is not for sale at this time. The original keeper’s house is located onshore. The light is actually accessible via walking out along the breakwall. But beyond providing a nice view of the ships coming in and out of the harbor, it won’t probably be much more than a sitting room for the new owners.
Duluth South Harbor Breakwater Inner Lighthouse
Cleveland Harbor
This light holds the distinction of having been moved ashore for a period of time in 2005 while the pier beneath it underwent repair. It’s back where it belongs, but there’s still no place to build a home alongside it. It’s a cast iron tower, only accessible by boat as the pier does not connect to shore. This one will also be difficult to turn into a summer home, and probably explains why there were no takers for it when it was offered to nonprofits last year.
Cleveland Harbor East Breakwater Light
Two Down One To Go
Conneaut Harbor soft close is set for tomorrow afternoon (3:00 pm EST). Will that be extended, or will dimlight become the owner of two lighthouses? Or will the new bidder increase it, and hope dimlight is happy with one? Does this sound like a soap opera yet? At any rate, Lighthouse News will let you know what happens. Even if soap operas leave you hanging, we won’t!
Photo Credits: Cleveland East and Duluth Harbor by CWBash. Some rights reserved.
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2 Comment(s)
By PJ on Jul 16, 2009 | Reply
Wow! At those prices, I’m gonna buy me a lighthouse!
By Sue Clark on Jul 17, 2009 | Reply
Hi PJ,
The selling price may be low, but the cost to fix them is astronomical. As they are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the work has to be approved by them. And it has to be done to a certain standard.
But it is the one chance for a person to own one of these historic beacons, as the ones in private hands rarely go on the market.