North Country Slate Chosen for Restoration of Iconic Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

Located in the middle of the Hudson River, just 100 miles from New York City, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse has warned boaters and mariners about the mud flats and sandbars in the area since it was first commissioned in 1874. The lighthouse, which was originally one of more than a dozen on the Hudson River, is one of only seven remaining.

Due in part to turbulence from heavy shipping on the Hudson, the structure’s 200 wooden support pilings, drilled 50-feet into the riverbed, are deteriorating and the structure is starting to shift, leaving cracks in the façade and granite foundation. Left unchecked, the two-story brick structure with its 46-foot tall beacon tower is in real danger of collapsing into the river. In fact, the National Trust of Historic Preservation placed the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse on its 2024 list of the country’s 11 most endangered historic places.

An aggressive effort is underway to save and restore the historic lighthouse. One of the first steps in the $7.5 million restoration effort is to stop water from leaking into the building through the roof and windows. For this, Jaynes Sheet Metal of Gallatin, Tenn., was hired to perform the roofing work which consisted of completely removing the original slate from the 750 square foot roof, repairing the rafters and sheathing, and installing the new roof.

The first step was installing scaffolding around the entire lighthouse to provide safe access to the steep lower slope sections of the mansard roof. The existing slate roof was then carefully removed to boats that would eventually haul it away.

The 100 Year Roof

North Country Unfading Black slate tiles were specified to match the aesthetics of the historic lighthouse. Quarried in Quebec, these slates are 14” x 7” x ¼” and trimmed to “diamond points” to match the original design.

Unfading Black slate is a premium roofing slate that provides a rich black color with a slight lustre. The S-1 rated roofing slate exceeds ASTM’s requirements for physical properties and is 100% environmentally friendly, non-combustible and fireproof, and will withstand high winds, hail as well as the harsh winter weather, ice and snow, common in upstate New York.

Most importantly, North Country Slate’s Unfading Black slate is a highly durable roofing solution. When installed correctly with non-corroding nails or hooks, North Country roofing slates have a lifespan of more than 100 years with minimal maintenance, to match the lifespan of the lighthouse’s original slate roof installed in 1874.

One of the biggest challenges was getting the slate tiles safely to the lighthouse. Pallets of slate tiles weigh nearly 3,000 lbs. each. While delivering them to a job site is generally very easy, it gets much more complicated when the job site is in the middle of a river. The slate was carefully shipped to the site, unloaded and stored onsite, before being carried up the scaffolding to the roof. In addition, the project required lots of flashing and detail work around the curved dormers and eaves on the lighthouse.

North Country Slate was the perfect partner for this project, and will be your perfect partner too. Their slate is 100% natural, highly resistant to moisture and chemicals, unaffected by freeze/thaw cycles, and non-combustible with a Class A Fire Resistance Rating. In short, North Country Slate can add beauty, aesthetic appeal and 75 years or more of life expectancy to any structure, as it did for the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse. Get a quote for your next project using the highest quality roofing slate available anywhere by contacting North Country Slate at 416-724-4666

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