Painter pays $192,000 for 1902 lighthouse, plans to turn it into a learning hub

Hooper Island Lighthouse. Image Credit: WBOC For more than a century, the 1902 Hooper Island Lighthouse has stood three miles offshore in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. Years of exposure have left the historic structure badly in need of repair, but its latest owner sees an opportunity to give it a new purpose. Pennsylvania painter Rich Cucé paid $192,000 for the abandoned lighthouse after competing against several other bidders. The building has no running water, heat or electricity and faces major restoration challenges. Cucé hopes to repair the landmark and eventually create a destination focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its wildlife.How the $192,000 lighthouse entered the life of a painterThe Hooper Island Lighthouse was built as a navigation aid at a time when ships depended on lighthouses to travel safely through the Chesapeake Bay. According to SpinSheet, the lighthouse was completed in 1902, when keepers had to work around the clock, lighting the lamp with oil and watching for ice, fog and other vessels. As navigation technology improved and many lighthouse duties became automated, structures that were difficult to reach were increasingly left without the care.This 4-storey whi...