HOOPERS ISLAND, Md. -- After weeks of being up for auction with no bids to eventually being sold for nearly $200,000, the new owner of the historic Hooper Island Lighthouse has plans to restore the tower and the Chesapeake Bay.
Rich Cucé of Pennsylvania has wanted to purchase lighthouse for years, and unique history of the 120-year-old Hooper Lighthouse peaked his interest. As a professional painter and blaster, Cucé says restoring the lighthouse to it's historic correctness is a job that he welcomes, and he hopes to have the job completed within the next year or so.
"I have a great plan to blast and paint it in an environmentally safe way," says Cucé. "The blasting and painting part, that's easy. I've done that for 25 years. The interior restoration is going to be a lot of work like any old house would."
However, it's the second phase of his plan that seems to stand out most. Cucé's dream is to use the lighthouse as a place for people in the community to learn about and study the Chesapeake Bay, and to promote the importance of protecting and preserving the Bay. Once the tower is restored, Cucé plans to open the lighthouse and do just that.
"I've always been an environmentalist and there's nothing more important than our waterways, our barometers of what's going on in the environment," says Cucé. "That's why we came up with that slogan, restore the lighthouse, restore the Bay. Cause that's the goal. First, we have to restore the lighthouse or else we'll have nothing to work from. But then we'll start doing restoration efforts to save the Bay."
Cuce's $192,000 purchase did come with some strings attached. He must maintain the lighthouse as a coast guard navigational aid, follow historic preservation standards, and sign a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Navy to determine when he can and can't be at the lighthouse.
Cucé says he has received an overwhelming amount of support from the community, especially those that reside on Hoopers Island.
He has created a website and several social media pages dedicated to the Hooper Island Lighthouse. People interested in keeping up with the lighthouse restoration process are encouraged to follow it on Facebook at @HooperIslandLighthouse and on Instagram @hooper_island_lighthouse.
