Paint the brick. Clean the lamp. Put in a solar light string (fairy lights) or a solar powered bulb (solar panel on top of light. 

My childhood home, in Phoenix ca. 1972, had a gas lamp fueled by city gas. I remember having to relight the mantles. They weren't common in the area, but our cul-de-sac had one. It was taken out in the early 2000s but not before using candles, then solar lights to light it.

Me again! i would replace it. it looks like a later addition, the bricks dont match the house and the lamp is colonial style, not the style of your house. i would first see if its gas or electric powered and then remove it properly and also the brick for landscaping around it, again not original and in bad condition. then i would look into a more mid century style and consider solar powered one if you want to keep it. not farmhouse or craftsman style please.

So lets start with the function problem.

What have you done to find out how to turn it on? Replaced the bulb? Do you have any other landscape lighting? Effectively this should be coming on with the switch that turns the porch light on. Typically in older homes this was run as line voltage. So I would assume it is either the light bulb, the socket or the wiring has come loose. In order to remove it you would need to remove the wire that leads from the house as well and cap it off at a safe place. You can purchase a voltage meter and test the socket to see if it is getting power. if trying a new light bulb has not worked. If you are in over your head I would recommend having an electrician look at it and see what the options are, you may find it cheaper to keep it.

These where very typical for house that where built in this area, and probably originally was just a free standing black post light. ( the brick looks different than the house). Someone tried to make it a feature. IF you keep it I would remove the planter box and build a simple bed around it.

Thank you everyone for your responses and pictures!! I really appreciate it!

If your husband doesn't want to take it down and if you can get the light to work, you can build a post over the brick and the flowerbox section below, then replace the lighting fixture for an updated model.

Ohhhh, I actually really like that! Thank you!