Lighthouse Dream

Transfer reviewLetters of interest were due May 26, 2026. Full applications went to the NPS in mid-September.

Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse: Free Transfer in Review

A four-story tower and fog house on Cleveland's breakwater. A $425,000 auction bid in 2023 never closed, and GSA offered it free to community groups in April 2026.

No cost Federal offering

  • The Cleveland West Pierhead lighthouse, a white tower with a red-roofed lantern beside a white fog house on a stone breakwater under a pale sky.
    The tower and fog house on the breakwater. Photo: theciviccommons, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • The lighthouse and fog house at the end of the breakwater in warm light with a small fishing boat passing in front.
    A fishing boat passes the light. Photo: darlingtrk, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • The white tower and red-roofed fog house on a breakwater with ice piled along the stones in the foreground.
    Ice along the breakwater in winter. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • The lighthouse in the distance on the breakwater across open water, with a green tree on the shore beside it.
    The light from across the harbor. Photo: Tom Bower, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • A huge wave bursting against the lighthouse on the Cleveland breakwater during a winter storm with cold spray blowing across.
    Lake Erie waves break over the light in subzero weather. Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Jorgensen, U.S. Coast Guard (public domain)

Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors and the U.S. Coast Guard · Four photos are CC BY 2.0 and one is a U.S. Coast Guard public-domain photo. Credit is given on each photo.

· Wikimedia Commons contributors and the U.S. Coast Guard · Click the photo to close

Questions about Cleveland West Pierhead

Is Cleveland West Pierhead still available?

Cleveland West Pierhead is not available right now. GSA offered it at no cost on April 16, 2026. Six groups expressed interest, and full applications were due to the National Park Service in mid-September. If no one is selected, GSA will auction it again.

How much is Cleveland West Pierhead?

The transfer price is $0. A 2023 auction produced a $425,000 high bid that never closed, and GSA said only that the high bidder decided not to proceed. The next owner still has to sign a 25-year Army Corps of Engineers lease and carry liability insurance.

Where is Cleveland West Pierhead and how do you get there?

The lighthouse guards the west entrance to Cleveland Harbor, half a mile out in Lake Erie. You reach it by boat. Landing is from a slick platform with steps, or by a ladder bolted to the wall. The public has not been inside since World War II.

What comes with Cleveland West Pierhead?

A four-story tower with a basement, galley and living quarters, and an adjacent fog house. Both are described as gutted, with rusting metal and rotting wood. The property is offered as is, and the owner signs a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers.

What is the sale history of Cleveland West Pierhead?

The light opened in 1911 and was automated in 1965. A 2023 GSA auction ended in a $425,000 high bid that never closed. GSA offered it free on April 16, 2026, and six groups asked to be considered.

  1. Light first shows at the harbor entrance

    GSA dates the lighthouse to 1910.

    Source

  2. Automated

    A keeper staffed it until then. The Coast Guard took over from civilian keepers in 1939.

    Source

  3. GSA auction ends with a high bid that never closed $425,000

    GSA said the high bidder decided not to proceed. The sale would have required a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers and liability insurance. The buyers did not explain their decision.

    Source

  4. GSA offers it again at no cost under the NHLPA $0

    Source

  5. Letters of interest due

    Six groups expressed interest, none named publicly.

    Source

Why did a $425,000 sale fall through?

Two Cleveland buyers won the 2023 auction, and then they never closed. They did not say why. What the sale required is on record: a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers and liability insurance that meets the government’s terms. Neither shows up in a bid price, so read both before you bid on any breakwater or pier light.

Who gets it now?

The National Park Service picks the steward from the applications in hand. If it names none, GSA moves to auction again. The law asks the owner to open the site to the public, so a local nonprofit with a public-access plan is the natural fit. Read how the federal auction works if this one goes back to bidders.

Who do you contact about Cleveland West Pierhead?

You contact GSA about Cleveland West Pierhead, because GSA handles federal offerings. The official links in the sources below name the contact and the next step. Lighthouse Dream is not the broker. Confirm dates, terms and access on the official notice before you act.

Before you go further

Sources

Checked October 13, 2026. See something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.

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