Right across the street from where I was born and raised for the first 16 years of my life (2714). Interesting that this address is assigned to 4903 when it is about 350 feet closer to 3388 on the corner of 195 and university. Hydrant in front of 2724 and another one down the block across the street from 2685 (the towers ). Lol great memories of growing up in that neighborhood back in the 70’s 75/33 used to always beat 81/46 and 79/37 into that block. 75/33 were at Jerome and 183 then and the rigs back then didn’t have the horsepower that they have now so the climb up the hills from Bailey avenue slowed 81/46 down. With the 450 and 500 Hp engines today they climb those hills without any problems. Either way thanks for posting.
8060,
There is no Box 4900 or 4901 in the Bronx, only in Queens. But 4902 was right down the street from where I grew up, about a 100 yards from 3511. Located at Decatur Ave and 198th, it’s about a mile and a half from you. A long distance between that number sequence.
The City of New York invested a ton of money in the 1915s and 20s to completely rewire the FDNY fire alarm telegraph system in the Bronx (and all the boroughs). All the box numbers were completely revamped also. West of the Bronx River, where most of the people lived, the second digit was an odd number, i.e., 21xx, 33xx, etc,. East of the river, the second digit was even, as in 24xx, 36xx, with the exception of City Island, which were all 45xx.
Sure enough, before the effort was completed, the population in the West Bronx grew so rapidly that additional boxes were required to fill in the gaps. A new overlay of circuits, 47xx and 49xx were strung out along the streets and connected to new corner pull boxes. The 49xx circuit began at 4902, jumped to 4903, and looped east/west thru Bedford Park (4908 at Perry Ave and 200th St.), up thru Riverdale, and ended at 4994 at Jerome Avenue at 233d St. (Woodlawn cemetery.)
Interesting that a century later this map grid reference system still functions every day, even though the physical telegraph box alarms no longer exist. Smart dudes back then with great foresight.
