Designated June 28, 2016
The Lighthouse Complex was built as part of the federal government’s efforts to provide an integrated system of navigational aids throughout the United States in the early 19th through 20th centuries. It is one of eight extant lighthouses in Staten Island and the second oldest in the borough.
The Prince’s Bay Lighthouse Complex, historically known as the Red Bank Lighthouse, is located on the shore of Prince’s Bay near the southern tip of Staten Island and stands on one of the highest bluffs on the southern shoreline. The vernacular with Italianate style elements two-story brownstone Keeper’s House was built in 1868 next to the Lighthouse and connected by a 15-foot long passageway. An additional, one-story fieldstone Carriage House was built in 1869, just west of the Keeper’s House. The Lighthouse served as the primary navigational aide for the local maritime traffic, fishermen and oystermen working the oyster beds along Arthur Kill and Raritan Bay.