The federal government is giving away a northern Wisconsin lighthouse, but with strings attached

The federal government is giving away a lighthouse in Superior , and qualifying groups have until Aug. 5 to complete an application to be a potential owner of the historic landmark.

This is the second time in just over a decade that the government has tried to offload the building. It first tried to give the lighthouse away around 2013 after the building was declared excess property for the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. During that first go-around, no organization applied or qualified to take the building over.

That meant the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that oversees the transferal of the property, put the lighthouse up for auction. According to accounts by Minnesota Public Radio , a tech industry executive won the auction with a high bid of $159,000 in 2019.

That sale fell through over a disagreement with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers over access to the property, according to Paul Hughes, a public affairs officer with GSA.

The failure to seal the deal has led to another call to see if a government entity, a nonprofit organization or educational group would be interested in taking over the lighthouse, which was built in 1913.

The lighthouse is being made available to specific organizations

Individuals can't apply to get the free lighthouse. According to a Notice of Availability that announced the property was up for grabs, only federal agencies, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies or community development organizations can apply to get the lighthouse. Those organizations also need to use the lighthouse for education, park, recreational, cultural or historic preservations purposes.

"So far, one group has formally expressed interest in the lighthouse," Hughes said in an email interview on July 10.

The Coast Guard no longer needs the lighthouse, but must have access to the site

The Superior Harbor South Breakwater Light (Property), as it is officially known in federal documents, was deemed to be "excess to the needs of the United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard." But the Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers need to have access to the area, Hughes said.

Technological advancements means that the Coast Guard doesn't need the lighthouse. But there is other equipment on the property, which includes a flashing green light and a fog signal, that aid Lake Superior ships in navigating into the Superior harbor. The Coast Guard, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, retains the "unrestricted right" of access to the property so that it can maintain or change that equipment.

The sale of the property fell through over the issue of access

The lighthouse has a "long history of people committing vandalism, climbing on the structure and jumping from the breakwater into the water by the lighthouse," Hughes said. The high bidder who was on track to purchase the property wanted to install a fence and restrict access to the area.

"The Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard had some concerns that that would impede their own access to the lighthouse and breakwater in an emergency," Hughes said. The parties could not come to an agreement, and the sale fell through.

There are limits to the use of the lighthouse

In addition to providing access to officials from the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard, there are other limits on how a group might use the property. For example, it could not conduct any commercial activities on the property unless approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

The group also would need to preserve the historic integrity of the lighthouse. It is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the property's Notice of Availability. The lighthouse must be maintained according to the Secretary of Interior's standards of rehabilitation and historic covenants will be incorporated into a quitclaim deed. However, the lighthouse is offered as is, without any warranties or guaranties of any kind.

What would a entity get if they received the lighthouse from the government?

The documents describe the lighthouse as a "concrete fog signal building topped with a concrete cylindrical tower, 56 feet in height." It's also located on a breakwater maintained by the Corps of Engineers.

Why does the government want the lighthouse preserved?

The lighthouse is being given away as surplus property through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. "Lighthouses are unique in that they have sentimental and tangible value as historic properties," Hughes said. "The NHLPA recognizes the cultural, recreational and educational value associated with historic light stations."

Keith Uhlig is a regional features reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin based in Wausau. Contact him at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com . Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: The federal government is giving away a northern Wisconsin lighthouse, but with strings attached