The Superior Lighthouse has a new owner.
The over 100-year-old lighthouse — which sits at the end of Wisconsin Point — sold for $159,000 this week. It will continue to be used as a lighthouse, and the new owner will have to maintain its condition to match historic preservation standards, according to reporting from the Superior Telegram .
United States General Services Administration (GSA) spokeswoman Cat Langel confirmed that the high bid came from Steven Broudy of California. She did not have information on what Broudy intends to do with the lighthouse.
Its a five-story structure, with a basement, two floors of a main building that has living quarters, and a light tower surrounded by a lantern.
Zoning of the lighthouse area is suburban, meaning it could be used as a house, community building, seasonal cabin, church or educational institution, among others.
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But Jason Serck, economic development, planning and port director for Superior, told the Telegram he doesn’t believe the lighthouse could be used as a house. “It couldn’t be used as pretty much anything than what it is today,” he said.
The lighthouse is also limited by the hours of Wisconsin Point, as people can visit and camp on the point from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Bidding on the lighthouse started in July, and nine bidders placed bids throughout the following weeks as they tried to secure the purchase.
Langel said the GSA has 60 days from the date of bid acceptance to complete the closing. The administration has the right, but not the obligation, to accept the bid that is most advantageous to the government. If the high bid were rejected, all deposits would be returned and the government could seek to auction off the property again in the future.
The lighthouse was first lit in 1913 after two years of construction, and then automated in 1970.
