West Bank Light

{{Short description|Lighthouse in Staten Island, New York}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox lighthouse

| image_name= West_Bank_(NY)_Light.JPG

| location = west of Ambrose Channel
lower New York Bay

| coordinates = {{coord|40|32|16.8|N|74|02|34.1|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| yearbuilt = 1901

| yearlit =1901

| automated = 1985

| foundation = Concrete/cast-iron caisson

| construction = Cast iron

| shape = Frustum of a cone sparkplug

| marking = Brown on black base

| height = {{convert|55|ft}}

| focalheight = {{convert|69|ft}}

| lens = Fourth-order Fresnel lens (original), {{convert|300|mm|disp=flip}} (current)

| characteristic = Isophase 6s
white from 181° to 004°
red from 004° to 181°.

| fogsignal = Horn: 2 blasts every 20 s

| module = {{Infobox NRHP| embed = yes

| nearest_city = New Dorp Beach, Staten Island, New York City

| architect = U.S. Lighthouse Board

| added = January 9, 2007

| area = {{convert|0.1|acre}}

| mpsub = Light Stations of the United States MPS

| refnum = 06001230{{NRISref|2009a}}

}}}}

West Bank Light, officially West Bank Front Range Light, is a lighthouse in Lower New York Bay, within New York City, and acts as the front range light for the Ambrose Channel.{{Cite uscgll|1|2012|298}}{{cite uscghist|NY|2012-09-09}}{{cite rowlett|nydn}} It is currently active and not open to the public. The tower was built in 1901 and heightened in 1908. Staten Island Light serves as the rear range light.

On May 29, 2007, the Secretary of the Interior identified West Bank Light, offshore in Ambrose Channel–Lower New York Bay, as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The property was described as {{convert|55|ft}} tall with two floors, a keeper's dwelling, and located on {{convert|0.1|acre}} of underwater area. The keeper's dwelling, located on the second story (about five standard stories above the ground), was {{convert|1500|ft2}}. It could be seen as far as the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, as well as from South Beach, Staten Island.[https://archive.today/20121214011524/http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhlpa/noas2007.htm Available properties through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program for 2007]

No group was identified as willing and able to preserve the West Bank Light, and on June 5, 2008, the General Services Administration placed the light up for sale via auction with an initial bid was $10,000. The auction ended on August 27, 2008 at a final bid of $245,000.[http://auctionrp.com/Property_details.cfm?id=920 GSA listing (1-PR-08-004) for West Bank Light] The sale did not close, and the light was auctioned a second time in September 2010, selling for $195,000 to Sheridan Reilly.