Coney Island Lighthouse

October 20, 2026

Coney Island’s 1890 lighthouse could be landmarked

A historic lighthouse in Brooklyn may become a New York City landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the Coney Island Light, an iron-framed lighthouse built in 1890, for consideration as an individual landmark. One of the oldest structures in Coney Island, the lighthouse sits within the private community, Sea Gate. Since the neighborhood is closed off to non-residents, most New Yorkers have never been able to access the historic building, which is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and leased to the community's homeowners association. It's unclear whether a landmark designation would make it open to the public.
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From NYC’s first gated community to Woody Guthrie: A history of Sea Gate

Photo via Flickr cc

May 4, 2022

From NYC’s first gated community to Woody Guthrie: A history of Sea Gate

By Lucie Levine

What do Woody Guthrie, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Frank Schubert (the nation’s last civilian lighthouse keeper) have in common? They all lived in Sea Gate, a private community at the westernmost tip of Coney Island. Sea Gate began as a 19th-century playground for the rich, turned into a hotbed of Yiddish literature and Socialist labor activism in the 1930s, and sported at least one commune in the early ‘70s. Today, Sea Gate is home to about 8,000 residents who enjoy private beaches and expansive views of the Verrazano Bridge. If you want to “get in the Gate,” as the locals say, but aren’t ready to relocate west of the Wonder Wheel, you can snag a summer membership at the Brooklyn Beach Club, where even non-residents can while away the hours under a cabana. Or, you can read on for the history of a Coney Island beach town you’ve probably never visited.
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History

June 4, 2019

10 of New York City’s most important lighthouses

By Alexandra Alexa

Nestled in one of the busiest harbors in the world, New York City is home to many lighthouses which, over the years, have guided countless ships. Though many are now obsolete and out of use, the further you look into the histories of each lighthouse the more you realize that, beyond their architectural and historic significance, each lighthouse has at its core a deeply human story: tales of bravery, feats of engineering, and even a ghost story or two. Below, we round up ten of the most prominent lighthouses around the city.
Check them all out!

Coney Island Lighthouse

Coney Island’s 1890 lighthouse could be landmarked

From NYC’s first gated community to Woody Guthrie: A history of Sea Gate

10 of New York City’s most important lighthouses

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