Buffalo North Breakwater South End Light (the "bottle" light)

History

When Buffalo's harbour entrances were rebuilt at the start of the twentieth century, the Lighthouse Board marked the breakwater ends with a pair of unusual beacons. Built of riveted boiler plate, each is 29 feet tall and tapers from just over ten feet across at the base to a little over two feet at the top, which gives the shape that earned the 'bottle' nickname.^[2,3] Four cast-iron port windows and a curved iron door complete the design.^[2]

This one stood at the south end of the north breakwater and was first lit on September 1, 1903, with a sixth-order Fresnel lens under a domed roof.^[2] Around 1960 the dome came off and a battery-powered lamp behind a green plastic lens replaced the old optic.^[2]

In 1985 the beacon was retired and lifted off the breakwater. Rather than scrap it, it was set up on the grounds of the Buffalo Main Lighthouse, a few feet west of the old stone tower, where it is displayed with a 1920s bell buoy and a fog bell.^[2,3] It had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.^[4]

Its twin, from the north side of the south harbour entrance, took a different road. Removed at about the same time, it now stands at the gate of the Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum, farther west along the New York shore.^[5] The Lighthouse Directory calls the design unusual, and Wikipedia counts these two as Buffalo Harbor's pair of bottle-shaped beacons.^[3,2] The bottle can be seen whenever the Buffalo Lighthouse grounds are open, though the beacon itself is not entered.^[3,6]

How to see it

Grounds open You can walk to or around the lighthouse; the tower itself is closed.

Best public viewpoint

On display a few feet west of the Buffalo Main Lighthouse on the South Pier Promenade, at the end of Fuhrmann Boulevard.^[3]

Tower climbs

No public tower climbs have been offered, as far as our sources show.

Operator

Buffalo Lighthouse Association

Last verified

Last verified 2026-10

Access details last verified 2026-10. Hours, tours and ownership change. Check the operator before you go. Pier and breakwater lights can be dangerous in wind and waves; obey posted closures and never enter private or Coast Guard property.

Questions people ask

Where is Buffalo's bottle lighthouse?

On display a few feet west of the Buffalo Main Lighthouse at the mouth of the Buffalo River, reached by the South Pier Promenade off Fuhrmann Boulevard.

Are there two bottle lighthouses?

Yes. Its twin, the South Buffalo North Side Light, was also removed from Buffalo Harbor and now stands at the entrance to the Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum.