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The U.S. Is Giving Away 6 Lighthouses—Here's What It's Like to Actually Own One: ‘It's Truly a Labor of Love'

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If you've ever wanted to own a lighthouse, now's your chance.

The U.S. General Services Administration is offering up six lighthouses to federal, state or local government agencies, nonprofits, educational organizations, or other entities willing to maintain, preserve, and make them available to the public for recreational, educational, or cultural purposes.

The free lighthouses are in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. The GSA will also sell four lighthouses in Ohio, Connecticut, Michigan and New York in a public auction.

But there's a catch: While the lighthouse is free, the new owners will be responsible for the cost of upkeep and maintenance.

A spokesperson for GSA tells CNBC Make It that new owners should expect there to be a cost associated with making them liveable and will also be required to pay property taxes, as determined by local city or county laws.

The program aims to preserve the properties, most of which are over 100 years old, according to TIME.

Warwick Neck Light is located on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and is one of the lighthouses being given away for free.
Kickstand | E+ | Getty Images
Warwick Neck Light is located on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and is one of the lighthouses being given away for free.

John Kelly of the GSA's office of real property disposition told TIME that because of the development of modern technology — including GPS — lighthouses are no longer essential for navigation. Still, they remain tourist attractions.

"People really appreciate the heroic role of the solitary lighthouse keeper," Kelly said. "They were really the instruments to provide safe passage into some of these perilous harbors which afforded communities great opportunities for commerce, and they're often located in prominent locations that offer breathtaking views."

The Lynde Point Lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut is also being offered at no cost.
Lucky-photographer | Istock | Getty Images
The Lynde Point Lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut is also being offered at no cost.

Owning a lighthouse isn't cheap

In 2022, Richard Cucé, the 52-year-old owner of a Pennsylvania blast cleaning and industrial painting service company, Blastco used most of his life savings to buy the Hooper Island Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay at a government auction for $192,000.

The lighthouse was built in 1902, sits in the middle of the bay, and is located within a "surface danger zone" of the U.S. Navy.

Cucé tells CNBC Make It that the renovation of the lighthouse is currently underway and he intends to spend about $1 million to restore the structure.

"It is truly a labor of love. I often wonder if the whole thing is a bad idea, but then I will have a good day that makes me think it will all be worthwhile," he says.

The painter admitted that in order to focus on the lighthouse he cut back on his work hours and sold a few investment properties for the money he'd need to restore it.

Because Cucé's lighthouse doesn't have a physical address and he doesn't own the land it's on, he won't have to pay property taxes.

Cucé estimates that the upkeep will cost between $50,000 and $100,000 a year, which includes maintaining a boat to get to and from the lighthouse. He's hoping to make some income by giving tours and hosting events.

This government giveaway is nothing new

The GSA has been transferring ownership of lighthouses since the U.S. Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000. Since then, about 150 lighthouses have been transferred: 80 or so given away and another 70 auctioned.

More than $10 million were raised from the lighthouses sold at auction.

Kelly told TIME that there are nonprofits that already maintain some of the lighthouses being offered up this year. They will have the opportunity to apply to continue to do so.

If a new owner is not found, the lighthouses will be offered for competitive bidding at auction.

The Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield, Connecticut is being auctioned off.
Wirestock | Istock | Getty Images
The Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield, Connecticut is being auctioned off.

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