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Quick, let your light shine again!
Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse — made famous in an 84-year-old children’s book — is finally being treated to a $13 million facelift.
The 146-year-old Jeffrey’s Hook lighthouse beneath the George Washington Bridge, better known as the “Little Red Lighthouse,” will be restored to its former glory as part of the “once-in-a-generation” makeover, the Historic House Trust announced this month.
“This beloved landmark tells a uniquely New York story: one of purpose, reinvention, and the power of people to influence change,” said Giulietta Fiore, executive director of the Trust.
“Relocated to the banks of the Hudson more than a century ago, the Little Red Lighthouse has become a symbol of our city’s history, imagination, and resilience,” Fiore added. “It is my hope that generations to come will look upon this little lighthouse, find their own meaning in its story, and see it standing tall amid an ever-changing city.”
The city-owned lighthouse will get a full restoration that includes reworking the prefabricated cast-iron components riveted together in the structure’s innards, the Trust said.
The project will also make it easier for visitors to walk inside the living time machine and climb the winding staircase to the lantern room.
There will also be upgrades to boost accessibility for disabled visitors, new safety features and new signage.
The goal is to make the tiny but mighty lighthouse look like it did when it was first brought to the Hudson River spot.
It’s not clear how long the city-funded $13 million project will take, but visitors have been warned that the only way to view the historic landmark will be through a virtual 3D experience for the foreseeable future.
As part of the project, the Trust is asking members of the public to share memories of the landmark through its “Letters to the Lighthouse” campaign.
“The Little Red Lighthouse has inspired generations to look a little closer at the history and natural world around them,” said NYC Parks Urban Park Ranger Director Bonnie McGuire.
“It is a place where the stories of the river, the city, and the park come together. We look forward to helping New Yorkers rediscover this remarkable landmark and all that surrounds it for years to come.”
The massive makeover marks the first time the lighthouse has received a substantial upgrade in decades.
It was given a fresh coat of red paint in 2000, according to the Parks Department.
Before that, a 1986 renovation for the lighthouse included reconstruction of the concrete foundation and installation of new steel doors.
The pint-sized lighthouse had not always sat in the shadows of the bridge — it was originally erected in Sandy Hook in 1880 and used a 1,000-pound fog signal and flashing red light to guide ships through the night until 1917, according to officials.
The 40-foot-tall structure was reconstructed and relocated to the riverbanks of Fort Washington Park in 1921 in an attempt to improve navigational aids on the Hudson River.
Jeffrey’s Point, in particular, had been known as a shipwreck point since the 19th century, but had previously only been equipped with candle-powered lanterns on red poles to warn sailors of the danger.
But the lighthouse only aided navigation for several more years until the 1931 opening of the George Washington Bridge, whose bright lights made it obsolete.
The tale was chronicled in the 1942 book, “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge,” in which the lighthouse learns that it still serves an important purpose despite its initial job no longer being necessary.
It was officially decommissioned in 1948 and was slated for demolition, but a nationwide campaign, thanks in part to the children’s book, saved it from that fate.
It remained on the land since as a national historic landmark and as a “quaint reminder of the area’s history,” the Parks Department said.