St. George Coast Guard Station

St. George Coast Guard Station is a federal maritime facility in Manhattan comprising 22 historic structures, with the main office building rising three stories in Second Empire style and featuring brick and sandstone trim. Since 2015, the National Lighthouse Museum occupies part of the complex and displays maritime objects along with information about how lighthouse systems worked.

The site began as a marine hospital in 1799 and operated in that role until structures burned down in 1858 during a local conflict over quarantine policies on Staten Island. Following this destruction, the grounds were redeveloped into a Coast Guard facility focused on manufacturing maritime equipment.

The station housed workshops where lighthouse beacons and maritime safety devices were made by hand for lighthouses across the Eastern seaboard. These structures and equipment became essential tools that shaped how people navigated along the coast.

The complex is accessible on foot and visitors can explore both outdoor structures and the museum exhibits at their own pace. It helps to allow time for walking through the grounds since the site spreads across several buildings.

The foundry and machine shop on the grounds manufactured anchors, chains, and buoys for every lighthouse from the Carolinas to Maine, making this site a hidden production center for Eastern seaboard maritime infrastructure. This on-site manufacturing created essential parts that kept coastal navigation systems functioning for generations.

Location: Manhattan

GPS coordinates: 40.70100,-74.01430

Latest update: December 14, 2025 12:24