Historic Cedar Point Lighthouse To See Facelift, New Life As B&B

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A beloved historic lighthouse in East Hampton is set for a facelift — and poised to see new life as a bed-and-breakfast.

On Monday, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming joined elected officials, community groups and organizations to announce $500,000 in funding that was appropriated by the County Legislature for the renovation of the roof and exterior of the Cedar Island Lighthouse.

The Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society and Friends of Cedar Island Lighthouse will also announce the kick-off of their fundraising campaign to raise the funds needed to complete the exterior and the entire interior of the Cedar Island Lighthouse, repurposing the structure as a working bed and breakfast, Fleming said in a release.

Lee H. Skolnick Architecture is onboard to design the exterior of the lighthouse.

The Cedar Island Lighthouse, a release said, was built in 1868 to replace an earlier wooden structure. Over the past 146 years the Lighthouse has survived erosion, hurricanes, and a fire which gutted the entire interior. After it was decommissioned in 1934, the Lighthouse passed into private hands until 1967 when it was acquired by the Suffolk County Parks Department.

Time has not been kind to the lighthouse, which has been vandalized, ravaged by fire in 1974, and fallen into disrepair.

But efforts have been underway for years to breathe new life into the old beauty.

In 2010, the US Lighthouse Society entered into a stewardship agreement with Suffolk County Parks to work together to restore the Lighthouse.

In 2010, Fleming said, legislation was green lighted to amend an agreement authorizing the Chapter to operate the Lighthouse as a bed and breakfast after the restoration is complete — and end goal that will keep the Lighthouse open to the public and generate funding for the structure's continued maintenance.

Once complete, the Lighthouse will contain a living room, kitchen and keeper’s quarters on the first floor with two bedrooms on the second floor.

Work on the roof is slated to kick off in 2018.

“The Cedar Island Lighthouse is a significant and historic part of Sag Harbor’s history," Fleming said. "Repurposing the structure as a working bed and breakfast will allow it to once again play an important role in the economy of the East End.”

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele spoke of how important the lighthouse was to the community and vowed he would be working with New York Senator Kenneth LaValle to secure funding for the restoration efforts in the 2018 state budget cycle.

"The Cedar Point Lighthouse is an important historic resource for the Sag Harbor Community. Its restoration has been a dream for decades. Now, through a public-private partnership, that dream is closer to reality. The approval of county funding is a major catalyst towards needed restoration efforts," Thiele said.

Added Suffolk County Legislator Steve Bellone, “The Cedar Island Lighthouse has been an iconic landmark in Suffolk County for over 145 years, and we are thrilled to provide the necessary resources to help restore and preserve a significant part of our history."

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman reflected on the importance of the lighthouse in East End history.

“The Cedar Island Lighthouse is truly a unique treasure to the East End,” he said. “When completed, the lighthouse will again be the beacon of beauty she once was.”

East Hampton Town Deputy Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, whose family farm overlooked Northwest Harbor, said he applauded Suffolk County for their efforts in restoring the lighthouse and in preserving the area's maritime heritage.

The Lighthouse was built in 1868 on an offshore island to help whaling ships safely navigate to and from Sag Harbor. It was decommissioned in 1934, and sold. Phelan Beale, the husband of Edith Beale of "Grey Gardens" fame, owned it for a time.

When the hurricane of 1938 ripped through the South Fork, it changed the shoreline and created the sand strip that visitors now stroll to get to the lighthouse.

Suffolk County bought it in the late 1960s to be apart of Cedar Point County Park, but the lighthouse has since fallen into disrepair, particularly after the raging fire gutted the interior in 1974.

Patch file photo.