National Lighthouse Museum: Newsletter

Newsletter - January/February 2001

Contents:

Board Meeting at Historic Fort Wadsworth

Introducing Lewis P. Johnson

NLM Progress Report

Lewis P. Johnson's Theme for Development

Design Consultant Submits Phase One Design

Lighthouse Site & Surrounding Area Steeped in Development

Grahams Get the Board Crackin

Tall Ships Off the Plaza

Friends Committee Organize Lecture by Jim Crowley

Board Meets at Historic Fort Wadsworth
On a golden fall day, tailor-made for a stroll, the U.S. Coast Guard hosted the NLM board at the magnificent Fort Wadsworth site, perched on a bluff, overlooking the entryway to New York harbor. One of the oldest military installations in the United States and now part of the National Park system, the fort was first used during the Revolutionary War when, in 1794, soldiers at Battery Weed held off the British in fine fashion. As tempting as these surrounds were, the board sat down to a full plate of serious business, from the approval of a new director, to proposals for creative advertising.
In addition to approving the Phase One architectural design plan, the board ratified the nomination of a new member, Sam Radin of North Truro, Mass. Mr. Radin is an attorney and founder of the National Madison Group, Inc., an insurance services firm providing planning and consulting services to individuals, corporations and charities. Mr. Radin has been cited by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal as an expert in his field, and is know nationally as an expert in the use of life insurance products for sophisticated estate, charitable and financial planning.
The board learned of NLM's receipt of $18,000 from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs DCA) and other monies forthcoming from the state, individual donors, memberships, and pledges from banks. The DCA grant is restricted to education, and will support the production of our newsletter, information pamphlets and lightship activities. The board discussed proposed renovations to the museums buildings, securing the lightship, economic development in the surrounding area and control of the waterfront.
Outgoing director, Henry Stephenson was lauded for his dedication and tenacity in guiding NLM from a conceptual museum project to its current reality. For his effort, Stephenson was made an honorary life member of NLM. The honorary membership was also bestowed on Rita Cronin who worked as an NLM assistant in the trenches with Stephenson for the past two years.

A design charette at Fort Wadsworth - Board member, William Baker gestures in front of the site plan while architect Lee Skolnick standing at right responds. Photograph by Rita Cronin.

Introducing Lewis P. Johnson

Lewis P. Johnson stands by the poster showing the Lighthouse Depot Crew. Photograph by Hilton Flores, Staten Island Advance. The National Lighthouse Museum (NLM) begins its 2001 development year under new and seasoned leadership. The Board of Directors, at their October meeting, unanimously approved the appointment of Lewis P. Johnson as Executive Director. Mr. Johnson, who brings over thirty years of experience in planning and building Corporate Centers, Interpretive Centers, Museums and public information facilities, began his tenure immediately following the appointment. He will fill the considerable shoes of Henry Stephenson, one of NLM's founders and a guiding influence behind the conception and development of the facility.
In passing the baton to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Stephenson expressed his support of the board's choice; you couldn't find a better person than Lewis for this job he said. He is the right person in the right place at the right time Mr. Johnson first became involved with NLM in 1999, when as a member of the National Executive Service Corp., he worked with Mr. Stephenson to develop the museums business plan. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Chicago School of Business Administration and holds an AB, BFA in marketing.

Johnson's qualifications to head NLM are impressive by any standard. As president, CEO and principal owner of Lynch Industries, an exhibition, communications and marketing consulting firm from 1962 - 1990, Mr. Johnson's grew the company to include offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Va. and Frankfurt, Germany. He is recognized by corporate and museum professionals alike as a driving force in exhibit innovation and design. The American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Sea World Parks, Intrepid Air-Space Museum, and Exxon Energy Center - Disney World Florida are but a few museums that have benefited from Mr. Johnson's expertise.
After receiving board approval Mr. Johnson said, "I am honored to be entrusted with what will be a world-class maritime museum. My goal is to grow a flourishing and financially secure institution steered by an involved and supportive board." One of Mr. Johnson's initial tasks, and primary goal, will be to secure major funding that will allow NLM to meet its $5.3 million matching obligation while also generating day to day operations income.
When accepting the NLM directorship, in 1998, Mr. Stephenson, an architect, had planned to stay on only long enough to see NLM through its start-up and infancy stages. He remains an active contributing member of the board and chairman of the Museum Planning, Program and Design Committee.

National Lighthouse Museum - Progress Report
Directors Travel to Shore Up Lightship Transfer
Incoming director Lewis Johnson traveled with former director Henry Stephenson to Cape Cod Massachusetts to take a first hand look at the Lightship WLV-613 Nantucket II. Lawrence Sowinski, formally with the Aircraft Intrepid Museum and an authority on lightships, also went along to tour the ship. The contingent was warmly greeted by ship owner Jack Baker, who saved the ship from being scrapped and restored her to original condition. The WLV-613 is now more seaworthy and readily usable as an educational tool and maritime exhibit facility. Elizabeth Aubert, who has been working closely with NLM on the ships acquisition, was also on hand for the meeting. The financing is now in place to bring WLV-613 to its new home off Lighthouse Plaza in April.
Operational Funding Promised by Bank
NLM has received a letter of commitment from Staten Island Savings Bank for a grant, which will fund the annual maintenance, and operation of the WLV-613 - the Nantucket II. The sum of money involved exceeds the requested dollar amount set by the owner, Jack Baker.
Friends Gear Up for the New Year
The Friends Committee, until now, a small group of dedicated volunteers, is gearing up to spread the word about our soon to be wonderful museum. The group has organized fundraisers, sold raffles and generally done whatever was asked. This year they will operate under the energetic and capable leadership of T. Dean Curry, who already is actively involved in developing The Friends organization. This group will grow with the museum and, in support of the Director and the Board, will become vitally important. Would you like to be involved? Please call or email the museum. You could help with events, plan programs, write articles for the newsletter, or perform any number of interesting duties.
Building a Bridge with Oversight Agencies
Director Johnson has been in close touch with New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the municipal agency holding the purse strings for the NLM project. EDC is being provided with full and detailed reports on issues of concern and has indicated pleasure with the new approach the museum is taking toward future development.
New Consultants & Staff Members Come on Board
Special consultants Mark Perrier and Frank Nave, experts in media programs for museums, special outreach activities and children's museum education will be assisting in NLM development. Karen Lawler, formerly Grants Manager for the Staten Island Botanical Garden, will be filling that role at NLM. Eileen Baydal will work with the Director as his Administrative Assistant and Rita Cronin will remain on board to assist with general office management.
Construction Documents Underway
The architectural firm of Jan Hird Pokorny Associates is preparing construction documents for work at the museum site that will be bid-out this summer. The work includes renovation of building #10, where the first phase of the museum will be installed. Site utilities, (water, sewer, power etc.) will also be extended to buildings #10 and #11 where the future restaurant will be located. The construction work will provide a waterproof building, including a new roof and windows, so that the museum displays and furnishings can be installed.
Work on the removal of asbestos coatings on the walls of the buildings has been completed.

Future museum buildings were
cocooned in plastic for asbestos
removal. The site took on a
Christo like appearance.

Lewis P. Johnson's Theme for Development
Incoming director Lewis P. Johnson has some clearly defined ideas and operating strategies, the implementation of which he sees as paramount in keeping the National Lighthouse Museum on track for completion in 2003.

Create a statement-articulation of the Museums mission.
Develop core programs and services Ð what is now provided and an analysis and recommendations on future options that will best enable the Museum to fulfill its mission.
Analyze Museum staffing - appropriate number of permanent and volunteer personnel to enable Museum to achieve its objectives.
Formulate Museum governance and voluntary structure- Board of Trustees structure including committees and assignments. Job descriptions for Board and Volunteer members and a strategy for board development.
Assess the facility's needs overall space requirements. Characteristics required or available for Museums use now and in the future.
Map a financial strategy Ð a determination of needs and a way to meet those needs. Develop a plan to analyze revenue requirements as projected against the expenses assumptions.
Plan a comprehensive fund raising program focused on operating revenues as well as capital resources.
Create an earned income strategy - opportunities to generate cash flow through Museum based retail activities.

We view the museum as a business with education as its major goal. By this approach we maintain the financial stability of the organization.
It also enables us to properly care for and protect our valuable artifacts and works of art, as well as acquiring new materials for ongoing program development.

Join Us In Development of this Remarkable Site!
The Lighthouse Museum location is one of the great historic sites of New York Harbor. We have the opportunity here to develop a world-class museum in seven exceptional buildings.
A large national membership and support is absolutely necessary for success. Your membership counts and we actively solicit your interest and ideas. We want to hear from you and will welcome email at Info@LighthouseMuseum.org.

Lighthouse Site & Surrounding Area Steeped in Development Activity

It's a go on all fronts. In his last year as Staten Island's Borough President, Guy Molinari has fast tracked our museum, and all of the development initiatives that buffer it, before term limits kick in and he must leave office.

During the summer the Coast Guard buildings and fencing on Lighthouse Plaza were eerily wrapped in protective covering as crews worked feverishly to remove every vestige of asbestos from the site. In August, the New York City Economic Development Corporation released a request for proposal to create a restaurant on Lighthouse Plaza in what was formally the Dutch Gable Machine Shop. A picture of the machine shop appears in the spring 2000 newsletter. Because the museums site was zoned for manufacturing use only, what is usually a lengthy review process to rezone was speeded up to accommodate our application for a mixed commercial/residential zone that allows a greater variety of uses.

And there's more. The 800-foot long, 80-foot wide Pier 3, adjacent to Lighthouse Plaza, has been transformed, with an influx of $75,000 in capital funds, into a magnificent fishing pier sporting wood and wire fencing, benches and lights. This improvement is sure to lure fishermen and families to the museum.

Bay Street, the major roadway that provides upland access to NLM, is being landscaped and a study is underway for rehabilitation of the entire corridor. The planned redo calls for streetscape improvements, re-zoning to encourage new development, and a look at traffic improvement measures that will allow easy access to NLM and other attractions under development. The buildings lining this street are included in a new hi-technology corridor being touted as Staten Island's Silicon Valley.

Re-construction will begin in April on the St. George Ferry Terminal located directly adjacent to the NLM site. The project will include a state of the art glass-walled terminal, housing restaurant and tourist information facilities. One block away from NLM the new minor league Staten Island Yankees baseball stadium is almost ready for opening day in early spring.

Sometime in the future...
Building #10 is lit up for an evening opening; at the right, the relocated Romer Shoals lighthouse throws a beam out into the New York Harbor; the Light Beacon structure to the left identifies the National Lighthouse Museum for the visitors arriving on the Staten Island Ferry and the Lightship (far left) is open for events. Perspective rendering from the Phase I Museum Planning and Development by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture & Design.

Design Consultant Submits Phase One Design

Lee H. Skolnick Architecture & Design Partnership has submitted its Phase One Museum Planning and Development concept proposal to the Board of Directors. The schematic renderings and accompanying illustrative color booklet treat the site as a campus, incorporating the buildings and open spaces as part of the lighthouse experience.

Some of the key points in the architect’s proposal:

A wrought iron main gate is proposed for the upland area of the site and major icons will be placed on the site as guides for visitors.

A large tower, visible from the harbor will be placed toward the front of the plaza and Rohmer Shoals lighthouse moved toward the rear, making it visible from the ferry ramp. Outdoor exhibits will dot the plaza.

Surface large-scale photographic images of the original depot will cover the adjacent ferry maintenance building walls.

Part of the interior of the main building will be enclosed as an atrium with an elevator, rooftop observatory and catwalks to ease traffic flow, while at the same time creating a dramatic entry.

The vaults will be transformed into emerson settings consisting of environmental mini theatres and interactive displays.

Although the Phase One schematic proposal was very complete and enthusiastically received by the Board, it may not necessarily represent the final design. We will keep you updated as the project evolves.

Chan & Loren Graham get the Board Crackin

Chan Graham on left, Loren Graham standing - at the September board meeting. Beginning with this issue, and in subsequent newsletters, we will highlight the contributions, expertise and dedication of two board members, randomly chosen from our roster of twenty-two. We salute these individuals who are giving freely of their time and talent to help create the National Lighthouse Center & Museum.
Channell (Chan) Graham
If you pick up the NLM newsletter and admire the way it looks crisp, clean and creative, you're giving the nod to Chan Graham, architect, teacher, writer, artist and founding member who is sharing his considerable talent with us.

Before moving to Staten Island, Chan practiced architecture in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 25 years and, as an Associate Professor, taught architecture at Washington State University for an additional six years. He then retired to New York where he started Channell Graham Graphics and now works as a consultant to many cultural and historic preservation institutions. Chan is also the current president of the Preservation League that in 1995 made saving and preserving the Third District Lighthouse Depot sites their number one priority for Staten Island. Seeing it designated as the National Lighthouse Center and Museum was a sincere fulfillment for the League and for Chan.
Chan holds a Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Ohio University.
Loren R. Graham
Loren Graham's love affair with lighthouses moved him to restore, at his own expense, a lighthouse on an island in Lake Superior (Grand Island Light Station), locally known as North Light and get it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He has written a book about the island that is home to North Light, secured millions in grant funds for the study of the history of science and technology, including the history of lighthouses and lighthouse technology, and purchased an interest in a Threatened lighthouse that he is now in the process of restoring.
Graham's fascination with lighthouse spans more than twenty years during which time he has assembled one of the world's largest collections of antique lighthouse prints (from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries) and one of the largest collections of books about lighthouses. As a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 28-10, he operated a radio station out of the lighthouse on Grand Island and participated in many rescues, a duty which he still undertakes.
In the world apart from lighthouses, this NLM board member is a distinguished educator and writer, holding a B.S. from Purdue University, M.A. from Columbia University, Ph.D. from Columbia University and a Doctor of Letters honors cause from Purdue. Loren Graham is professor of the history of science at MIT and research associate at Harvard University. Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, Whose Who in America, New York Times Notable Book if 1993Ó honoree are but a few of his distinctions.

Tall Ships Off the Plaza

Cyclists visit NLM's OpSail Booth. Crowds gathered on Lighthouse Plaza as the first tall ship broke through the mist shrouding the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. You couldn't ask for a better vantage point one man said as he hoisted his son high on his shoulders to see OpSail 2000 and the International Naval Review parade. A U.S. Air Force Stealth Bomber swooping low just east of the plaza elicited oohs and ahs from the spectators.

For many, the July 4th outing marked their first visit to Lighthouse Plaza and first glimpse of the beautiful Federal-style buildings that will soon become the National Lighthouse Museum. During the day, strolling musicians singing sea chants lured visitors to the museums exhibition tent. Henry Stephenson shared our museums vision with millions of viewers via a Public Broadcast System show that was aired around the world. For some, a Lighthouse moonlight fireworks cruise and fundraiser was the highlight. All in all, a great way to introduce NLM to the public.

Friends Committee Organizes Lecture by Jim Crowley

We want to recognize Friends Committee member Susan Connor for her hard work in organizing the October lecture/book talk at the Staten Island Great Kills Yacht Club. Jim Crowley, author of a new book titled Lighthouses of New York presented a slide show of his photographs of the lighthouses of the Hudson River. The book documents the remarkable collection of historic lighthouses that are located in the greater New York area. More than 60 people attended the event that resulted in substantial contributions to the museum.