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Staten Island Man Buys Romer Shoal Lighthouse

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - What would you do with $90,000? It might not buy you much of an apartment in Manhattan but it can get you a lighthouse in New York Bay.

WCBS 880's Sean Adams On The Story

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Staten Island businessman John Vincent Scalia has purchased the Romer Shoal Lighthouse at a government auction.

"I just like the idea of something historical and probably something that nobody else has," he told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams. "It's in pretty good condition. It has wooden floors in it. It has a kitchen. It has a bathroom. It has a bedroom and it has a living room."

The red and white lighthouse is more than a century old and is located nearly four miles off Sandy Hook.

It's 54-feet-high and made of brick and iron. The United States Coast Guard still operates the light.

Scalia wants to fix it up for the National Lighthouse Museum for tours and overnights.

"It could be used as a bed & breakfast for boaters," he said. "If you're out there on a nice day, the breeze is really terrific and it's nice peaceful place to spend time."

What would you do with your own lighthouse? Sound off below...

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