To the
Lighthouse
By Eric Feil
The buzzwords of real estate listings are the stuff of a particular poetry. Historic home. One-of-a-kind property. Endless water views. Exclusive East End. Well, it doesn’t get any more historic or East End than here, and the water views from this one-of-a-kind place, well, let’s just say they redefine the term. Call it The End. Call it the oldest lighthouse in New York State. Montauk Lighthouse keeper Joe Gaviola calls it home. “The air is clean, it’s fresh, it’s salty. It’s nature at its rugged best and most beautiful. To see the sunrise in the morning and then these sunsets, it’s just fabulous,” Gaviola raves, sitting inside the keeper’s quarters on a crisp, sunny day. “To look out and see the Atlantic Ocean, Block Island Sound, the Long Island Sound, all from your property? I appreciate it, I feel honored.” And as the inhabitant of Long Island’s easternmost residence, one of only a handful of people who’ve call the lighthouse home since George Washington commissioned it, part of a rare legacy. continued on page 18
Photo: A. Feil
