The Little Red Lighthouse in Fort Washington Park on the Hudson River

Island, fort & lighthouseFilmed hereManhattan

Little Red Lighthouse (Jeffrey’s Hook Light), the Lighthouse Saved by Children

The Little Red Lighthouse, officially Jeffrey’s Hook Light, is a small lighthouse in Fort Washington Park on the Hudson River in Manhattan, right beneath the George Washington Bridge. It became famous through a 1942 children’s book, and today it is a free and photogenic stop on the riverfront greenway, far from the crowds of Midtown.

A tiny lighthouse made obsolete by the giant bridge above it was saved from auction after children, fans of a picture book about it, protested. It still stands by the Hudson.

WhereManhattan, Washington Heights, Fort Washington Park on the Hudson River

TypeLighthouse and New York City Landmark

Best forWalkers, cyclists, photographers and families who know the children’s book

Getting thereOn foot or by bike along the Hudson River Greenway; footbridges cross the Henry Hudson Parkway; the lighthouse is seen from outside and tours are infrequent

The history of the Little Red Lighthouse at Jeffrey’s Hook

Jeffrey’s Hook is a small point of land on the Hudson River in upper Manhattan, and it was a hazard for river traffic. The first attempt to prevent accidents there was a red pole hung out over the water. In 1889 a ten candle-power light was added to the pole to warn the growing number of boats of the spit of land at night. The city acquired the land around the hook in 1896, and it later became Fort Washington Park.

The lighthouse itself had an earlier life. The early structure was built as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, where it stood until 1917, when it became obsolete. In 1921 the United States Lighthouse Board rebuilt it at its current location as part of a project to improve navigation aids on the Hudson. It had a battery-powered lamp and a fog bell, and a part-time keeper looked after it.

Construction of the George Washington Bridge, which rises immediately above the lighthouse, began in 1927. When the bridge opened in 1931, the lighthouse light was considered obsolete. In 1948 the Coast Guard decommissioned the light and put it out, intending to auction the building. The plan to dismantle it caused a public outcry, mostly from children who loved the 1942 book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, written by Hildegarde Swift and illustrated by Lynd Ward. The Coast Guard signed the deed over to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation on July 23, 1951.

The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse” in 1979 and designated a New York City Landmark, meaning the city legally protects it, in 1991. In 2002 the city relit it. In 2026 the Historic House Trust of New York City announced a major renovation. The little tower has become a symbol of how a story for children can protect a piece of the city’s maritime past, now seen by walkers and cyclists beneath one of the best-known bridges in the world.

Little-known facts about the Little Red Lighthouse

Before standing here, the structure served as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, until 1917.
The first warning at Jeffrey’s Hook was a red pole hung out over the river, with a light added in 1889.
The lighthouse stands on a point of land that also supports the base of the eastern pier of the George Washington Bridge.
After the bridge opened in 1931 the light was considered obsolete, and the Coast Guard turned it off in 1948 planning to auction the building.
Children who were fans of the 1942 book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge led the public outcry that stopped the dismantling.
The city relit the lighthouse in 2002, and a festival has been held in its honor, with a pause in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

Filmed here

The Little Red Lighthouse on screen

Wikipedia notes that the lighthouse appears in several films, including as a filming location.

Force of Evil (1948) – The lighthouse is an important setting in the film’s final scenes.
In the Cut (2003) – Jane Campion’s neo-noir film uses the lighthouse as a motif and as a filming location.
One Night Only (2026) – The lighthouse is featured in the final scenes of this film.

Visiting the Little Red Lighthouse

Public access is along the Hudson River Greenway. From the north, a footbridge crosses the Henry Hudson Parkway at West 182nd Street and Riverside Drive; from the south, footbridges cross it at West 158th Street or 151st Street.
Tours inside the lighthouse are given infrequently, arranged by the Urban Park Rangers of the city’s Parks Department, especially on Little Red Lighthouse Festival day in late September and on Open House New York day in October. Outside those occasions you see it from the outside.
The festival was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in 2022; check the current dates and rules before you go.
Fort Washington Park surrounds the lighthouse, and the view up to the George Washington Bridge is one of its main attractions.
Nearby places of this guide include High Bridge, the Hispanic Society of America, the Morris-Jumel Mansion and Dyckman House.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Jeffrey’s Hook Light (Little Red Lighthouse) is

Photos of Jeffrey’s Hook Light (Little Red Lighthouse)

The Little Red Lighthouse beside the Hudson, first view from 2014

The Little Red Lighthouse beside the Hudson, second view from 2014

The Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge, landscape view

The Little Red Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge, portrait view

Visitors on the gallery deck of the Little Red Lighthouse during an annual tour in 2015

Questions

What is the Little Red Lighthouse?

It is the common name of Jeffrey’s Hook Light, a small lighthouse in Fort Washington Park on the Hudson River in Manhattan, under the George Washington Bridge.

Why is the Little Red Lighthouse famous?

It was made famous by the 1942 children’s book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and the love of children for that story helped save it from auction.

Can you go inside the Little Red Lighthouse?

Only rarely. Tours are infrequent and are arranged by the Urban Park Rangers, usually around the festival in September and Open House New York in October. Otherwise it can be seen from outside.

How do you get to the Little Red Lighthouse?

By the Hudson River Greenway, reached by footbridges over the Henry Hudson Parkway, such as at West 182nd, 158th or 151st Street.

When was the Little Red Lighthouse built?

A light was first placed at Jeffrey’s Hook in 1889, and the current structure was rebuilt here in 1921 after serving earlier at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

Was the Little Red Lighthouse used in movies?

Yes. It is an important setting in the final scenes of Force of Evil (1948), a filming location in In the Cut and featured in the final scenes of One Night Only (2026).