Frank Sciame will soon be the new owner of the Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse following an online auction to purchase the lighthouse from the United States Coast Guard. The auction began on July 15, 2015 at 9 a.m. An opening bid of $10,000 was made on Aug. 5, and seven bidders participated in the auction which ended Sept. 1, with Sciame’s high bid of $290,000. This is expected to be the first transaction in Connecticut under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
The Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse is located on the Long Island Sound and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places, which requires the structure to be maintained in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards. The Department of Homeland Security United States Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team will continue to maintain the navigational aids at the property.
“We are delighted to have participated and succeeded in the exciting auction process for this historic lighthouse. We look forward to working alongside Connecticut’s State Historic Preservation Office to carry out this restoration,” said Frank Sciame. “Having purchased and renovated the former Katharine Hepburn property, I have been admiring this Lighthouse for more than 10 years. Once restored, it will be a quintessential accessory building to our family summer home.”
Built in 1886 to mark a sand bar on the west side of the Connecticut River, the lighthouse is within walking distance from the Connecticut estate where legendary actress Katharine Hepburn resided with her family for many decades until her 2003 death. The structure has four floors including a watch room and a lantern room and features molded cast-iron windows, and portholes. It was important to Sciame, who intends to restore and renovate the lighthouse for private use, that a resident of the Borough of Fenwick own it to ensure this iconic part of the seascape be properly maintained.
Sciame purchased the Katharine Hepburn estate in 2004 and performed a full renovation creating a modern open floor plan while preserving the home’s historic integrity. The 3.4-acre compound is the largest private property in the historic and exclusive Fenwick borough of Old Saybrook, and offers 680 feet of private beach on Long Island Sound.
Frank Sciame is the CEO and Chairman of Sciame Construction LLC, a highly recognized builder in the New York City and TriState area. With over 40 years of experience, his firm has won numerous awards for outstanding historic restoration and preservation work. Sciame previously served as Chairman and is a current Board Member of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.