New Cleveland Lighthouse Owners Vow to Keep Historic Structure Public
Meet Heather Moore and Jim Brown, the new owners of the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse.
From the top of her just-purchased lighthouse in Cleveland, Heather Moore can see the park named after her sister.
For Heather and her family, the city’s coastline is far more than water and sand. It’s a family memory — and even a love letter of sorts.
While Heather, a jewelry designer, was not immediately available for comment, she offered her thoughts through her friend and business consultant David Maurer. Her main objective? Assuring the public that she and her friend, Classic Auto Group owner Jim Brown, bought the lighthouse to preserve it, not to privatize it.
“It was something they did so that everybody has access to it,” Maurer says. “That was really important to them.”
Heather and Brown, who was also not immediately available for comment, purchased the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse for $425,000 last week via an auction hosted by the U.S. government's General Services Administration. It is accessible only by boat and lacks heating, electrical and plumbing. (Read more about the auction here.)
Maurer didn’t go into specifics about plans for the lighthouse because he doesn’t have them yet. The deal won’t be final until January — and Heather and Brown are just beginning the process of reimagining the lighthouse.
But he did say a few things have been discussed, including an events center or possibly even a one-of-a-kind art gallery. “I’ve never met anybody as creative as Heather,” Maurer adds.
The lighthouse is a “Cleveland symbol” and should be preserved, Maurer adds. It’s also adjacent to Wendy Park.
In 1997, Heather’s sister, Wendy, died at the age of 29 after suffering a head injury while skiing. Their father, Dan Moore, worked for decades to increase public access to Lake Erie, including a patch of land that Wendy, an artist, liked to visit with her camera.
He ultimately succeeded, creating Wendy Park.
Was the lighthouse’s proximity to Wendy Park part of the draw for Heather?
“Absolutely,” Maurer responds.
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