WayfarrowBlackwell Island Light
Lighthouse · New York County, New York
Blackwell Island Light is a lighthouse in New York County, New York. New York has 84 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 3 of them in New York County.
It was built in 1872, in the late 19th century, making it the 29th oldest of the 56 in New York with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 50 feet tall (16th tallest of 38 measured in New York); it guards East River; it was deactivated in 1940; the recorded designer or builder is James Renwick Jr.; the structure is built of stone.
Status check, 2026-11: Gothic-style stone tower designed by James Renwick Jr., now called the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse; decommissioned around 1940, on the National Register since 1972 and a NYC Landmark since 1976. Blackwell Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 40.7728° N, 73.9402° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1872 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 50 ft |
| Deactivated | 1940 |
| Body of water | East River |
| Designer / builder | James Renwick Jr. |
| Material | stone |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 40.77278, -73.94017 |
Nearby places
- Konaande Konghghost town · New York County · 1.2 mi
- Seneca Villageghost town · New York County · 1.3 mi
- Harsenvilleghost town · New York County · 2.2 mi
- Charlottevilleghost town · Queens County · 2.3 mi
- North Brother Island Lightlighthouse · Bronx County · 3.1 mi
- Carmansvilleghost town · New York County · 4 mi
- Rhinelander Gardensghost town · New York County · 4 mi
- Columbusvilleghost town · Queens County · 4.1 mi
- Jeffrey's Hook Lightlighthouse · New York County · 5.4 mi
- Titanic Memoriallighthouse · New York County · 5.6 mi
- Whitestone Point Lightlighthouse · Queens County · 6.6 mi
- Weeksvilleghost town · Kings County · 6.9 mi
Questions
Where is Blackwell Island Light?
Blackwell Island Light is in New York County, New York, at 40.7728, -73.9402.
How many lighthouses are in New York County?
New York County, New York has 3 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.