Online auction for Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Long Island Sound extended to Aug. 20 by GSA

If you’ve ever wanted to get away from society, have waterfront views or live in a historical building, you may be in luck.

The General Services Administration is extending its online auction for the Penfield Reef Lighthouse, located in Long Island Sound, to Wednesday.

Built in 1874, the lighthouse is one mile off Bridgeport's Black Rock Harbor and is in the jurisdiction of the Town of Fairfield, Connecticut.

The property features a 51-foot octagonal light tower atop a two-story keeper's quarters set on a concrete foundation with riprap, a pier and a boat landing, the online listing said.

It is only accessible by boat.

Bidding opened on June 11 and is currently set at $100,000.

 A 2023 auction for the Penfield Reef Lighthouse closed "with a high bid of $360,000," according to a GSA spokesperson, and "is being reoffered after the winning bidder decided not to complete the sale." 

The lighthouse was among 10 other lighthouses auctioned or given away in 2023 by the federal government with the goal of preserving the properties, most of which are more than a century old.

It was classified on the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1990.

The listing said the lighthouse remains an active Federal Aid to Navigation, with red flashing lights for both emergency and primary use and fog horns that have a range of one nautical mile.

Since the property is on submerged land, purchasing it requires a 30-year submerged land lease from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

The lease cost will be 10% of the purchase price plus a certificate of insurance that declares the state of Connecticut as an additionally insured party, the online listing said.