New Dorp Light

New Dorp Light is a wooden lighthouse with a square tower structure standing 24 meters tall, built on a brick foundation. The building displays traditional carpentry methods with vertical wood siding and a sturdy masonry base.

Congress approved funding for this lighthouse in 1852, and it was completed in 1856 to guide ships through Swash Channel. The structure served its maritime purpose until it was eventually decommissioned and converted into a residence.

The tower displays 19th-century building techniques in its wooden frame and brick base, now serving as a private home rather than a working beacon. Today it stands as a reminder of how maritime structures were repurposed when their original function ended.

The lighthouse sits at the end of Boyle Street and is not open to visitors since it functions as a private residence. Access from Altamont Street is limited, so viewing the structure requires observing it from a distance.

A buyer named John Vokral purchased the abandoned structure at auction in 1974 and converted it into a home. This transformation showed how a decommissioned maritime building could find new purpose as living space.

Location: Staten Island

Inception: 1856

Height: 24 m

Made from material: lumber

GPS coordinates: 40.58078,-74.12011

Latest update: December 9, 2025 12:24