The Little Red Lighthouse, the 40-foot cast-iron tower under the George Washington Bridge in Fort Washington Park, is headed for a full restoration. The Historic House Trust of New York City, which cares for the lighthouse with NYC Parks, has announced the project with an initial $13 million from the City of New York, and design work is underway. It is the only historic lighthouse left on Manhattan.

The Trust is running the project with NYC Parks and Riverside Park Conservancy, and has hired Henson Architecture, a historic preservation firm founded in 2003, to design it. No construction start or finish date has been announced yet.

What the restoration covers

According to the Trust, the plan includes:

  • Restoring the lighthouse's historic fabric, the cast-iron plates and concrete foundation it has stood on since 1921.
  • Making it accessible to visitors with disabilities.
  • Improving the parkland and recreation areas around it, and upgrading safety features.
  • Expanding free public tours.
  • Better signs and connections from public transit, so visitors can find the path down to the river.
  • New historical and artistic interpretation at the site.

The $13 million is a starting figure. The Trust says more money would let it go further on the landscape, and it is looking for funding partners.

From Sandy Hook to Jeffrey's Hook

The lighthouse did not start in Manhattan. It was built in 1880 in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and moved in 1921 to Jeffrey's Hook, the point of land in Fort Washington Park where it stands today.

It became famous in 1942 with the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, written by Hildegarde H. Swift and illustrated by Lynd Ward.

Share a memory: Letters to the Lighthouse

Along with the restoration, the Trust has opened a campaign called Letters to the Lighthouse, inviting anyone with a story about the tower, whether a first visit as a child, a festival day or a run along the river, to send it in through an online form on the Trust's site.

Visit now, in person or online

The Trust points to two ways inside the tower today. The Urban Park Rangers lead tours through the year, and the annual Little Red Lighthouse Festival, produced by Riverside Park Conservancy and NYC Parks, opens the tower for visitors to climb the spiral stair to the lantern room. This year's festival was held on October 3.

For anyone who cannot wait for the next tour, the Trust has posted a free virtual 3D tour of the lighthouse, inside and out, which can be explored from a phone or computer.

Getting there

The lighthouse sits on the Hudson at the foot of the George Washington Bridge, inside Fort Washington Park. The A train's 181st Street station is the nearest subway stop, and the park is reached on foot or by bike along the Hudson River Greenway.

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