LILAC Preservation Project

The US Coast Guard Cutter LILAC was built in 1933, and served for forty years on the Delaware River as a lighthouse tender, carrying supplies to lighthouses and maintaining buoys until its decommissioning in 1972. This unique ship is on the National Register of Historic Places and eligible to be a National Historic Landmark. LILAC is open to the public as a free museum from May to October at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25.

Lilac Preservation Project was founded in 2003 as a 501c3 not-for-profit. While the organization is developing a capital plan to overhaul the ship and restore the steam boilers, we continue to deliver educational programs that preserve the stories of our working waterfront, and help prepare for a sustainable future using steam technology.