GSA Offers Historic Lighthouses for Sale in Michigan and Wisconsin

CHICAGO – The U.S. General Services Administration announces the public sale of the Poe Reef, Ontonagon Breakwater and Superior Entry lighthouses as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA) program’s effort to find new owners for these historic structures.  

About the Lighthouses

• Poe Reef Light, located 6 miles east of Cheboygan, Michigan, was constructed in 1929 and is white with black markings and a red roof on its lantern room. The 56-foot light marks a shallow reef for ships heading west to Lake Michigan and guides ships safely through this hazardous channel in Lake Huron.
• Ontonagon Breakwater Light is the westernmost light on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Built in 1900, the light consists of a tripartite tower on four angled steel beams attached to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater structure at the entrance of the channel leading to the Ontonagon River from Lake Superior.
• Superior Entry Light sits on a 10-mile long sandbar between the ports of Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. Built in 1913, the structure consists of a rectangular-shaped fog signal building topped by a cylindrical cast iron lantern.

About the Auctions

• As part of the NHLPA program, GSA is offering these lighthouses through an online auction at realestatesales.gov.
• The Poe Reef Light and Ontonagon Breakwater Light auctions began on June 20, 2019, with starting bids of $50,000 and $5,000, respectively.
• The Superior Entry Light auction began on July 10, 2019, with a starting bid of $10,000.
• Interested bidders must complete an online registration form and submit a registration deposit. Additional information can be found on realestatesales.gov.
• The Poe Reef Lighthouse occupies Great Lakes Public Trust bottomlands owned by the state of Michigan. The state requires any purchaser to enter into a Private Use Agreement for lease of bottomlands prior to any use or occupancy of the lighthouse.
• The Ontonagon and Superior Entry Lights are on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater. A lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required prior to conveyance of these lighthouses.
• The light at each lighthouse will continue to serve as an active aid to navigation, and will remain the property of the U.S. Coast Guard who will retain an access easement to service it.
• Through this program, proceeds from the public sales go back into the USCG’s Aid to Navigation Fund, which pays for the equipment, maintenance, and resources to continue preservation and maintenance of lighthouses that are still active.

Since 2000, GSA has administered the NHLPA with its partners, the Department of the Interior - National Park Service and Coast Guard. As of December 2018, GSA has sold or transferred 139 lighthouses out of federal ownership, including 60 sold by online auction, generating more than $7.5 million in proceeds.