A group of four men broke into a historic New York lighthouse along the Hudson River, set a fire and vandalized the interior, destroying valuable antiques, furniture and other items.
The Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow, built in 1883 and now on the National Register of Historic Places, had just undergone a two-year, $3.4 million renovation and reopened to the public last fall, Westchester County officials said.
A county parks worker saw smoke coming from the conical, five-story lighthouse on Saturday morning, then discovered the damage, county police said. Police and firefighters responded and put out a small fire with extinguishers.
The flooring on the first level was heavily damaged. Antiques, furniture and other historically significant items were destroyed. Thirty-five books dating to the 1800s and early 1900s were strewn on the floor and damaged. Multiple windows were broken.
County officials say there is at least $100,000 in damage, and they expect that number to increase when an assessment is complete.
“The Tarrytown Lighthouse is one of our County’s most iconic and cherished landmarks,” County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a statement. “This was a truly despicable act, and we will do everything we can to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
County police have posted surveillance photos on their Facebook page showing four young men near the lighthouse and are asking for the public’s help in identifying them. No arrests have been made.
As part of the renovation, interior and exterior sections were restored and repainted. Windows were replaced and the structure stabilized. Repairs were made to the cast iron exterior and masonry. Wood floors were repaired and restored.
The fire burned nearly all the way through the wooden first floor, said Peter Tartaglia, first deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation.
