Ogdensburg lighthouse facing wrecking ball???

On the website of the Lighthouse Direcotry I found a link to this news flash:

Ogdensburg hoping DEC rule will spare Lighthouse Point from wrecking ball

The owner seems to be a real SOB. Trying to tear it down before anyone would have a chance to save it and no plans for the abestoes (sp?). It would be a real shame in this day and age to have a lighthouse demolished!

Not really much content in the article, but one must presume he plans to tear the light down to build a new property at the location. I'm sure it is a valuable property, nicely situated as it appears to be. It would appear the present owner pretty much has no appreciation of history, either of the area he lives in or of our nation. I'm a vengeful kind of guy, so if he tears it down and builds something new I would find a way to really ramp up the property taxes to make him pay dearly.....

It's too bad that no one ever applied for historical designation for the light over the years. Since it is not an active light the CG would not be involved. I think the city is using a very interesting approach to try to stop the destruction.

Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info about the light. I wonder how long it has been out of service and privately owned?

The light was decommissioned in the 1960's, and is no longer active.

More information about this lighthouse is to be had here

I actually think this is pretty stupid as ideas go for "cool waterfront homes."

Lighthouses are cool to live in, even to people outside of our little Lighthouse Wacko microcosm. There's a cachet to it that causes them to sell for the big bucks, even in little bucks neighbourhoods.

It seems this guy wants something newer and updated, but wants his riverfront (and it's a very nice bit of riverfront) land. But why not incorporate the lighthouse?

My dream house is the Morgan Point Light in Connecticut. It's out on the west side of the entrance to the Mystic River, and it's a private home. I got to tour it on the 2004 NELL Lighthouses, Hot Chocolate and You trip. The thing about it is, it's no longer just the original structure - the owners added a huge addition to the back with a giant great room, beautiful kitchen, and several bedrooms/offices.

Lighthouses in themselves are really not conducive to 21st century living; they have small rooms, tiny windows and little chance for adding integrated outdoor space. But by adding onto the original structure, you can truly have the best of both worlds.

Why not do that? Probably cheaper, too - no extra demo permits, and a lot of square footage is already there (unless he wanted to gut it or something to the effect).

I toured Morgan Point with NELL that year--don't recall seeing you Greg, but probably had my head down watching out for the duck/geese droppings on the lawn for fear of bringing them inside the place on my boots--even if we had to remove our shoes/boots. Do recall it was really, really cold that day and often remark that the owner's "office" (the lantern room) when he's on the east coast would not be conducive to my completing any work if it were mine.

Make it a state historical landmark and get it registered as such. Then the owner must rehink his plans.

A website has appeared: Ogdensburg Harbor Light

Not sure who they are, but ...

Well the site is restered to:

Lee Roethel
River Rat Designs
Ogdensburg NY US

Well I read a posting on that site that referred to someone having read in the newspaper that the lighthouse would be spared. Tried finding something in the local paper but couldn't. Their site didn't have much on it except the capability to place an ad. So do we even know if the lighthouse site and it's contents are recent???

All I know is what I was told when I was up that way some years ago. We were over near the lighthouse and spoke to some people who had been particpants in an historic reenactment that seemed to be about over. They stated that the then and current owner wasn't too keen on folks wanting to see the lighthouse. It seemed that these reenactors were local folks and didn't have anything too positive to say about the owner. We walked out to the lighthouse and I stepped about three feet past the posted sign marking off the private property for a few photos. There were some people who had gone further, near the river but not close to the lighthouse, whoever they were.

The lighthouse site would indicate they were more welcoming? as apparently the father was. But then again, is it old stuff or new? If it's new is seems to be a complete turnaround from wanting to tear the place down???