Post by ppat324 on Nov 24, 2010 6:42:36 GMT -5
11/24 - Milwaukee, Wis. - For those who always wanted to live in a lighthouse but were born a century too late, there's great news from the federal government. The feds are selling a couple of light stations in Wisconsin, and for the price of 10 or 25 grand, one could be yours.
Up for auction are the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse and the Kenosha North Pierhead Light. But before any prospective lighthouse buyers get too excited, there are caveats.
The Coast Guard will have easements to get to the solar-powered lights for servicing every now and then. One of the light stations - Kenosha - really isn't livable since it's simply a round tower with a circular staircase inside. The lighthouse structures must be maintained, which could prove costly. The buyer of the Manitowoc light station must get a lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Also: There's no running water or power, aside from solar energy.
Still, the federal government hopes someone will think it's cool to own a light station and fork over the dough. The minimum bid for the two-story Manitowoc lighthouse, which has a basement, is $25,000, while the minimum bid for the Kenosha Light is $10,000. As of Monday there were no bids at the auction site - www.auctionrp.com - for either property.
Who would buy a light station? And more important - why?
"You'd be surprised," said Arthur Ullenberg, realty specialist for the U.S. General Services Administration. "Those are probably one of the few federal assets we can always sell. There just seems to be a huge following for" lighthouses.
Indeed, a lighthouse sold for $225,000 this year in New York when someone snatched up the Latimer Reef Lighthouse, a cozy 1884 red and white light station on a rocky island near the Connecticut border.
An open house was held Saturday at the Manitowoc Lighthouse for anyone interested in buying it. The auction for the Kenosha light station is scheduled to close Dec. 2.
The reason why dozens of lighthouses have been sold or are on the block is that the Coast Guard no longer wants to pay to maintain them.
The Coast Guard has been selling off or handing over ownership of lighthouses much of this decade, spurred by the 2000 National Lighthouse Historic Preservation Act, which allows the agency to turn over the historic buildings to the U.S. National Park Service and publish their availability. Though most are acquired by nonprofit groups that must restore and maintain them under federal guidance, lighthouses that garner no interest are eventually auctioned. Prices have ranged from $2,000 to $500,000. No governments or nonprofit groups were interested in taking over the Kenosha and Manitowoc light stations. Ullenberg said the City of Kenosha and the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc each requested applications but ultimately decided not to acquire the structures.
The auction is for serious bidders only - folks must deposit $10,000 to bid on the Kenosha lighthouse and $15,000 to bid on the Manitowoc lighthouse and once someone jumps in, the bidding will go up in increments of $2,000 for Kenosha and $5,000 for Manitowoc.
No land is included because the lighthouses are located on breakwaters owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ullenberg said it's likely purchasers also would have to negotiate a variety of permits from each locality depending on what the buyer wanted to do with it. He didn't know if the buyers would be charged property taxes.
Albatross or jewel, it all depends on the outlook of prospective buyers.
The brick red Kenosha North Pierhead Light was built in 1906, though a navigational aid of one kind or another has been at the spot since before the Civil War. Whoever nabs it must park his or her vehicle at Simmons Park and walk out on the long pier.
The white Manitowoc Lighthouse dates from 1918 and looks like a square wedding cake. The cast iron lantern room at the top still sports its original fifth order Fresnel lens keeping watch over the Manitowoc River.
If the lighthouses don't sell, the government will likely put them up for sale again another time, Ullenberg said. And if they do sell, owning a lighthouse is certainly an icebreaker at parties.
"These people like to be on the water," Ullenberg said of lighthouse buyers. "You do get a great view."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Up for auction are the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse and the Kenosha North Pierhead Light. But before any prospective lighthouse buyers get too excited, there are caveats.
The Coast Guard will have easements to get to the solar-powered lights for servicing every now and then. One of the light stations - Kenosha - really isn't livable since it's simply a round tower with a circular staircase inside. The lighthouse structures must be maintained, which could prove costly. The buyer of the Manitowoc light station must get a lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Also: There's no running water or power, aside from solar energy.
Still, the federal government hopes someone will think it's cool to own a light station and fork over the dough. The minimum bid for the two-story Manitowoc lighthouse, which has a basement, is $25,000, while the minimum bid for the Kenosha Light is $10,000. As of Monday there were no bids at the auction site - www.auctionrp.com - for either property.
Who would buy a light station? And more important - why?
"You'd be surprised," said Arthur Ullenberg, realty specialist for the U.S. General Services Administration. "Those are probably one of the few federal assets we can always sell. There just seems to be a huge following for" lighthouses.
Indeed, a lighthouse sold for $225,000 this year in New York when someone snatched up the Latimer Reef Lighthouse, a cozy 1884 red and white light station on a rocky island near the Connecticut border.
An open house was held Saturday at the Manitowoc Lighthouse for anyone interested in buying it. The auction for the Kenosha light station is scheduled to close Dec. 2.
The reason why dozens of lighthouses have been sold or are on the block is that the Coast Guard no longer wants to pay to maintain them.
The Coast Guard has been selling off or handing over ownership of lighthouses much of this decade, spurred by the 2000 National Lighthouse Historic Preservation Act, which allows the agency to turn over the historic buildings to the U.S. National Park Service and publish their availability. Though most are acquired by nonprofit groups that must restore and maintain them under federal guidance, lighthouses that garner no interest are eventually auctioned. Prices have ranged from $2,000 to $500,000. No governments or nonprofit groups were interested in taking over the Kenosha and Manitowoc light stations. Ullenberg said the City of Kenosha and the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc each requested applications but ultimately decided not to acquire the structures.
The auction is for serious bidders only - folks must deposit $10,000 to bid on the Kenosha lighthouse and $15,000 to bid on the Manitowoc lighthouse and once someone jumps in, the bidding will go up in increments of $2,000 for Kenosha and $5,000 for Manitowoc.
No land is included because the lighthouses are located on breakwaters owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ullenberg said it's likely purchasers also would have to negotiate a variety of permits from each locality depending on what the buyer wanted to do with it. He didn't know if the buyers would be charged property taxes.
Albatross or jewel, it all depends on the outlook of prospective buyers.
The brick red Kenosha North Pierhead Light was built in 1906, though a navigational aid of one kind or another has been at the spot since before the Civil War. Whoever nabs it must park his or her vehicle at Simmons Park and walk out on the long pier.
The white Manitowoc Lighthouse dates from 1918 and looks like a square wedding cake. The cast iron lantern room at the top still sports its original fifth order Fresnel lens keeping watch over the Manitowoc River.
If the lighthouses don't sell, the government will likely put them up for sale again another time, Ullenberg said. And if they do sell, owning a lighthouse is certainly an icebreaker at parties.
"These people like to be on the water," Ullenberg said of lighthouse buyers. "You do get a great view."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel