FORT ERIE, ONT. -- A piece of Canadian maritime history is up for sale.

The Point Abino lighthouse keeper's dwelling, built around 1918 along the Lake Erie shoreline beside the lighthouse, is listed at $899,000.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1995 and later designated a national historic site by the federal government. The Point Abino Rd. South property was purchased by Fort Erie in 2003.

"To the right person, it could be an absolutely fantastic piece of property," Century 21's Kevin Noonan, who represents the town in the sale, said of the keeper's house.

"I've already had some discussions with a number of people that have had historical homes in the past and they're familiar with how to remodel them."

The buyer of the vacant building -- an arts and crafts-style cottage that housed keepers who operated the lighthouse for nearly 80 years -- will be obligated to maintain much of the house as a heritage site.

Last August, town council designated the keeper's dwelling under the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation came a month after councillors agreed to put the home on the open market to offset the costs of restoring the lighthouse.

In June 2009, the federal government announced it would contribute $425,000 toward the estimated $1.3-million worth of improvements.

The reason for selling the keeper's dwelling is to come up with the difference of more than $800,000 still needed to restore the lighthouse, said Mayor Doug Martin.

"We put some money aside the last number of years from previous councils and we filed a number of applications to get federal/provincial funding for the restoration. This is the next step to receive the remaining funds to ensure the property is not destroyed by neglect."

Noonan said although council voted to sell the house last year, it has taken a year to clean it up and work out access issues before going on the open market.

Access to the lighthouse and its keeper's dwelling has been a sore point for locals for decades. While the town owns both structures, the only road leading to them belongs to a number of homeowners who maintain a locked security gate at the entrance to the road.

Because of that, the town is required to sign a contract with the Point Abino Lighthouse Association, a group of mostly American seasonal residents, to be granted access to the premises from June through September, where people can walk to the lighthouse and visit the site under strict conditions.

"(There has been) a lot of discussions and things going on with the Point Abino Association to allow access to the property because of the private road," said Noonan. "We need to provide an easement for the public to be able to get to the actual lighthouse."

Noonan said it can be more difficult to find a buyer for a building that is designated as a heritage site, but it's not impossible.

"It's just a matter of having the right person take a look at it," he said. "It would have been nice to get it on the market a little earlier in the spring, but it is what it is."

The house gave the keepers an unobstructed view of the lighthouse and Lake Erie, with strategically placed windows and the open yard around the dwelling.

The home was constructed with a sympathetic eye towards the design of the lighthouse while fitting in with the upscale nature of the neighbourhood. It was a federal requirement that all lighthouses fly the Canadian flag. The flag pole remains, as does the original shore wall constructed by the keeper in 1939 to protect the dwelling and the property.

Noonan said the house is about 2,200-square-feet, including upper and lower floors. He said there are several key exterior and interior attributes that embody the historical and contextual value of the building.

"It's got a full basement, poured concrete. It's actually very solid," he said. "It needs a lot of cosmetic work.

"(The town wants) the exterior to stay as much original as possible. In the inside "¦ the brick fireplace they definitely want to stay in place because of the design. The chimney, the flag pole they want to stay. The original wall to protect the building from the lake "¦ and the rest of the yard they virtually haven't touched, so it's pretty original."

rspiteri@nfreview.com