U.S. Lighthouse Service General Depot

U.S. Lighthouse Service General Depot. . , ADMINISTRATION BUILDING , Built 1867-1871, Wings added 1901 , National Register of Historic Places, New York City Landmark, The Administration Building is described in its National Register of Historic Places nomination as typifying “an era when governmental buildings had great symbolic importance and architectural distinction was an essential part of that quality.” Its architectural distinction is apparent both in its style and in the quality of materials of which it is made. The stye s second French Empire, characterized by a mansard roof, and entrance porch, quoins (the rectangles that mark the corners) and by “handsomely articulated window openings.”, Notice the difference in the condition of the dormer windows in the center section and the wings. Both the 1869 and 1901 windows have decorative “Flemish” scrolls, but the older windows are cast iron and the later one, pressed metal. Hexagonal slate tiles still cover most of the mansard roof. , ORIGINAL LAMP SHOP - BUILDING 8 , Built 1867-68 , National Register of Historic Places, This building is similar in appearance but not in stricture to the Greek Revival building on the other side of the Administration Building. Here, the floor construction is supported by steel I-beams and cast iron columns. The four south-facing windows once admitted light to a double height interior where tall Fresnel lenses from France were assembled. Workers in the lamp shop carried out a variety of tasks, including unpacking, assembling, and testing Fresnel lenses. In 1868, on average, nearly one Fresnel lens a week was received from France and then assembled and tested before being shipped out.