FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies

[3511]

As a Bronx teenager in the 60's, I went to Freedomland twice. First time with the schoolyard guys, probably summer of '62. We were not impressed,  but then we were a cynical bunch. Palisades Park, Rye Beach Playland or the go-cart track in Soundview, all serious bus rides from our neighborhood, much better because they were what they advertised to be, amusement parks rather than a "theme" park.

As a buff even then I was anxious to see the highly advertised Chicago Fire recreation. It was hokie, as was the rest of the joint. There were a lot better ways to have fun ( not all of it legal) back on the block.

The next year Freedom land was hyped as greatly improved. Had a hot girlfriend who wanted to see it (hormones were way up, would have taken her to the moon if that's what she wanted). Even she was dissapointed. You can figure where that got me.

The next year, '64, was the World's Fair and nobody ever mentioned Freedomland again.

Let's not romanticize something that was, at best, a nice try.

 

[mack]

Engine 66 Ladder 61  firehouse  66 Asch Loop  Co op City  Bronx

    Engine 66 organized 21 Asch Loop                    1974

    Ladder 61 organized 21 Asch Loop at Engine 66  1974

Note:  Defender Hose located at Boston Road and Dyre Avenue originally provide fire protection to Eastchester area of the Bronx until disbanded in 1923

Construction of firehouse 21 Asch Loop 1973-1974:












21 Asch Loop:








Engine 66 Mack:




Ladder 61:




Engine 66 Ladder 61 responding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyXwYoYylIE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJZnCpSVnY

Ladder 61 LODD: Sgt Christian P.  Engeldrum November 29, 2004  Operation Iraqi Freedom









http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/cpengeldrum.htm


Co op City: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/realestate/06live.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


Co op City Police (CCPD):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-op_City_Department_of_Public_Safety

http://www.ccpd.us/index.html

 

[mack]

Note: Original Engine 66 was designation of a fireboat, Engine 66 (Marine), located at Grand Street, on the East River, Manhattan.  It became Marine 6.

    Engine 66 Marine organized foot Grand Street, East River            1898
    Engine 66 Marine new quarters foot Grand Street, East River        1932
    Engine 66 Marine new quarters foot Grand Street, East River        1941
    Engine 66 Marine disbanded                                                      1955

    Marine 6 organized foot Grand Street, East River                        1959
    Marine 6 moved to Bldg 292 Brooklyn Navy Yard                        1992

Fireboats assigned:

    Engine 66 "Robert A Van Wyck"                                                1898                                     
    Engine 66 "William L Strong" (renamed)                            1898-1938
    Engine 66 "George B McClellan"                                        1938-1953
    Marine 6 "Alfred E Smith"                                                1961-1992

Fireboat Van Wyck


Fireboat Strong at berth:


Fireboat Strong:




Fireboat McClellan:




Fireboat Alfred E Smith:


Former Engine 66/Marine 6 firehouse - today - Grand Street, East River







Corlears Hook - busy East River neighborhood of Engine 66 in early 1900s:

 

[fdny1075k]

With the smaller garage bay at 21 Asch Loop, does anyone know if they were planning on or anticipating organizing or relocated a Battalion to 66/61?

 

[fdhistorian]

The picture of Engine 66's neighborhood in the 1900's really shows the potential fire problem faced by the early fireboat fleet with tightly spaced, wood frame pier structures extending hundreds of feet into the rivers, with limited access from the land side and heavy fire loading from cargo.

 

[mack]

Protection Engine 7 - firehouses - Broad Street, Stapleton  Staten Island

    Protection Engine 7 organized at 53 Broad Street                    1858
    Protection Engine 7 moved to 68 Broad Street firehouse        Unknown
    Protection Engine 7 disbanded                                                1905

Protection Engine 7 was a volunteer engine company in the Edgewater Fire Department which protected Tompkinsville (Quarantine), Stapleton and Clifton (Vanderbilt Landing).  The department was organized in 1871. The department later included Concord, Ft. Wadsworth and South Beach.  The department initially had 4 or 5 engines, 1 hook and ladder and 5 hose companies.  The Edgewater Fire Department disbanded in 1905 one month after FDNY expanded to SI's North Shore.  The Edgewater Fire Department had 5 engines, 3 hook and ladders and 11 hose companies in 1905.


Protection Engine 7 at original 53 Broad Street firehouse:




Protection Engine 7 second firehouse 68 Broad Street - near Engine 153/Ladder 77 firehouse:




Old Stapleton firehouse bell tower:


Note:  Tompkinsville, SI, was home to a Quarantine Hospital 1799-1858 which was burned down by local SI residents September 1, 1858, due to the unhealthy proximity of 1500 patients with contagious diseases quarantined in poor conditions.  All patients were removed before the fires were started even though the hospital staff was unaware.  All criminal charges were dropped against the arson organizers because public sentiment felt the destruction of the hospital was justified.  Protection Engine 7 was organized 1 month after the fire in October 1858 with the intent to improve SI fire protection.

http://untappedcities.com/2013/12/03/how-19th-century-mob-of-arsonists-burned-down-staten-islands-quarantine-hospital/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1502261/pdf/15147652.pdf

Quarantine Hospital, Tompkinsville, SI  1800s:




Burning of Quarantine Hospital September 1, 1858:

 

[3511]

1075k,

I believe the extra bay was for Division 9, which had been organized and crammed into 90/41. Can't remember if the deputy ever made it there but wound up at E72.

 

[mack]

Division 9 Bronx was organized in August 1968 at Engine 48 and then moved to Engine 90 September 1968.  Division 9 was deactivated in 1989.

 

[fdny1075k]

1075k,

I believe the extra bay was for Division 9, which had been organized and crammed into 90/41. Can't remember if the deputy ever made it there but wound up at E72.

Division 9 Bronx was organized in August 1968 at Engine 48 and then moved to Engine 90 September 1968.  Division 9 was deactivated in 1989.

Thanks, fellas.

 

[mack]

Enterprise Hook & Ladder 1  firehouse  Canal Street and Wright Street    Stapleton, Staten Island

    Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1 organized Bay Street                                1856
    Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1 moved to Canal Street and Wright Street    1890
    Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1 disbanded                                                1905


Enterprise Hook and Ladder was initially a volunteer ladder company in the Stapleton Fire Department (1858-1875).  It later became a volunteer ladder company in the Edgewater Fire Department (1875-1905).


FDNY Ladder 102 was organized in Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1 firehouse at Canal Street and Wright Street in 1905.  Ladder 102 became Ladder 77 in 1913.  Ladder 77 moved to new firehouse at 76 Broad Street with Engine 153 in 1915.

 
Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1:
 

Stapleton Fire Bell and Enterprise Hook and Ladder 1 firehouse:

Later initial quarters of FDNY Ladder 102 (became Ladder 77)

 

[manhattan]

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140811/sunnyside/fdny-drops-plan-store-sprare-fire-engines-at-sunnyside-site?utm_source=Queens&utm_campaign=3b8826e302-Mailchimp-NYC&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7fe6fa429e-3b8826e302-132258369

​

FDNY Drops Plan to Store Spare Fire Engines at Sunnyside Site

 

[mack]

Proposed Bureau of Fleet Services warehouse and administrative facility    39-34 43rd Street  Sunnyside, Queens

- former proposed storage capacity for 100 fire vehicles  http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140609/sunnyside/fdny-looks-use-sunnyside-warehouse-for-spare-fire-engine-fleet

 

[mack]

Bureau of Fleet Services apparatus storage and warehouse  59 Paidge Street  Greenpoint, Brooklyn

 

[mack]

FDNY Vehicle Maintenance Division  - Shops  -  48-34 35th Street  Long Island City, Queens

      Current shops built in 1948 for FDNY vehicle maintenance

      Previous FDNY maintenance shops:
          21 Elizabeth Street, Manhattan - original FDNY shops - converted volunteer apparatus to FDNY standards
          St Edward and Bolivar Streets, Brooklyn  (Brooklyn Fire Department) - continued as FDNY shops when BFD transitioned to FDNY in 1898
          12th Avenue and 56th Street, Manhattan - torn town 1934
          Packard Building, Queens - FDNY shops 1934-1948



















Shops tour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTdmxKbx8m4

http://www.publicsafetyreporter.com/2013/06/17/tour-of-the-fdny-repair-shop-with-a-view-of-tower-ladder-157-before-first-service/

Technical Services Division:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T3mlh10Ms8

 

[guitarman314]

FDNY Vehicle Maintenance Division  - Shops  -  48-34 35th Street  Long Island City, Queens

      Current shops built in 1948 for FDNY vehicle maintenance

      Previous FDNY maintenance shops:
          21 Elizabeth Street, Manhattan
          St Edward and Bolivar Streets, Brooklyn  (Brooklyn Fire Department)
          130 West 3rd Street, Manhattan
          Packard Building, Queens



















Shops tour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTdmxKbx8m4

http://www.publicsafetyreporter.com/2013/06/17/tour-of-the-fdny-repair-shop-with-a-view-of-tower-ladder-157-before-first-service/

Technical Services Division:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T3mlh10Ms8

  Isn't 130 W. 3rd St. the location of the former Fire Patrol firehouse? ???

 

[memory master]

The "Packard Building" I believe is still in existence on Queens Plaza North and 29th Street in Long Island City, near the 59th street bridge, I mean the Queensboro bridge, no I meant the Ed Koch bridge.

 

[soda-acid]

I believe the Shops were in the vicinity of 12 Ave. & 55 St. in Manhattan before they moved to the Packard Building. Not sure of the dates.

 

[mack]

Packard Building - former FDNY shops - Long Island City

Notes:
- Building still located Queens Plaza North and 29th Street vicinity Queensboro Bridge - per memory master
- Packard, a luxury car line, finally went out of business in 1958 - see below






Packard history:
"In 1898, Winton was the first American company to sell a standard, American made, gasoline powered automobile; its price was $1,000. James Ward Packard bought one of the twenty one Winton cars produced that year. Legend has it that Packard was so disappointed with his purchase that he returned it, and set out to design and build a much better car of his own.

James and his brother William had already put their college training and business experience to practical use running the Packard Electric Company in Warren, Ohio. With the release of their first car in 1899, a small one cylinder, buggy type model with automatic spark advance, they started the Ohio Automobile Company, a subsidiary of Packard Electric.

The Packard brother?s automobiles were engineered with quality and dependability in mind, which attracted the attention of Henry Joy, a member of one of Detroit?s oldest and wealthiest families. Joy not only invested in Packard?s automotive company, but interested many other of Detroit?s elite to buy in.

Henry Joy?s enthusiasm and involvement in the company grew rapidly, and by 1903, he and his investors had controlling interest. J. W. Packard remained as President, but the company?s name was changed to the Packard Motor Car Company, and its board voted for a move to Detroit.

While Henry Ford was producing cars that sold for $440, Packard concentrated on upscale cars that started at $2,600. These luxury automobiles developed a following in the United States and abroad, using the simple marketing statement, "Ask The Man Who Owns One."

The model that moved Packard firmly into the automotive industry's front rank was its Forty Eight horsepower Six of 1912. Packard then leap-frogged Cadillac's new 1915 V-8 with a V-12 the following year - their fabled "Twin Six".

On February 12, 1919 at Daytona Beach, Florida, a Packard took the world land speed record of 149.875 mph over a measured mile; but speed wasn?t what the company planned to delivery. Packard concentrated almost exclusively on expensive passenger machines, and by the 1930's was producing some of the finest luxury cars. Warren G. Harding was the first American president to ride to his inauguration in an automobile - a Packard Twin Six touring car.

A new straight-eight arrived for the 1924 season and Packard maintained its reputation mainly with this engine right on through its closing day in 1958. Packard fell on hard times after World War II and couldn't compete with the Big Three - Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

In a move to survive, Packard acquired Studebaker to benefit from its larger dealer network and Studebaker needed Packard?s strong balance sheet. Once the two companies were stabilized, the plan was to join Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson Motor Car Company in an all new four marque American Motors Corporation.

Unfortunately, the plan never came to be, and Packard executives discovered that Studebaker had been less than forthcoming in all of its financial and sales records. Low production numbers in 1955, and Studebaker?s financial situation being much worse than expected, eventually took the company down. The last true Packard rolled off its Detroit assembly line in 1956."  from "About.com:  Classic Cars"

Packard FDNY

1929 Packard FDNY Searchlight 4:

 

[mack]

Engine 34/Engine 34-2/Ladder 21/Ladder 21-2/Water Tower 3/Rescue 1/Engine 26  firehouse
440 W 38th Street Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

    Engine 34 organized 440 W 33rd Street former volunteer firehouse Mazeppa Hose 2    1865
    Engine 34 moved 448 W 33rd Street                                                                        1879
    Engine 34 moved 440 W 33rd Street                                                                        1880
    Engine 34 moved 437 W 33rd Street                                                                        1906
    Engine 34 moved new firehouse 440 W 38th Street                                                  1937

    Engine 34-2 organized 440 W 33rd Street at Engine 34 (organized from Engine 26-2)  1893
    Engine 34-2 disbanded (to form Engine 26-2)                                                          1894

    Ladder 21 organized 432 W 36th Street                                                                    1890
    Ladder 21 moved to 440 W 38th Street w/Engine 34                                                  1937

    Ladder 21-2 organized 432 W 36th Street at Ladder 21                                              1901
    Ladder 21-2 moved 440 W 38th Street w/Engine 34 and Ladder 21                              1937
    Ladder 21-2 disbanded                                                                                            1939

    Water Tower 3 organized 432 W 36th Street at Ladder 21                                            1891
    Water Tower 3 moved new firehouse 115 W 33rd Street w/Ladder 24                          1901

    Rescue 1 located at 440 W 38th Street at Engine 34/Ladder 21                                1985-1989
        (Rescue 1 relocated to Engine 34 after multiple alarm warehouse fire destroyed quarters)

    Engine 26 located at 440 W 38th Street at Engine 34/Ladder 21                              2001-2002

Note:  Volunteer Mazeppa Hose Company 42 located at 440 W 33rd Street firehouse prior to organization of Engine 34

1865 evaluation: "Mazeppa hose, No. 42; Foreman, William Shields? Located 286 West Thirty-third street; performs duty in the first and second districts. House in bad condition ; carriage in good condition ; built in 1859, by Jos. Pine ; present number of men, 20; 200 feet of hose in good condition, 400 feet bad, and 400 feet ordinary. Also a four-wheeled tender, in ordinary condition." - the History Box.




Engine 34:


440 W 38th Street:


Note - both Ladder 21 and Ladder 21-2 were in-service in 1927 when new firehouse was built - reason for larger firehouse and door for trucks.









Engine 34:


E 34 1962 1000 GPM Mack:






Engine 34 2001 ALF:






Ladder 21:



















Rescue 1 at 440 W 38rd Street w/Engine 34 1980s:



Engine 34 responding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPkOqJh9NE

Engine 34/Ladder 21 responding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQNA5tcWvj8


Never forget:




FF James F. Calnan, Engine 34, LODD December 25, 1897  killed when apparatus overturned responding to alarm 10th Avenue and 39th Street

Thomas R. Godfrey, Ladder 21, LODD May 23, 1892 thrown from rig while responding to alarm


Neighborhood - Hell's Kitchen:  "The beginnings of... start in the mid-19th century, when immigrants from Ireland ...refugees from the Great Famine, began settling on the west side of Manhattan in shantytowns... After the Civil War the population increased dramatically, as tenements were erected and increased immigration added to the neighborhood's congestion. Many in this poverty stricken area turned to gang life and the neighborhood soon became known as the "most dangerous area on the American Continent"...the neighborhood was controlled by gangs...


The violence escalated during the 1920s, after Prohibition was implemented...warehouses in the district served as ideal breweries for the rumrunners...earlier gangs such as the Hell's Kitchen Gang were transformed into organized crime entities...After the Repeal of Prohibition, many of the organized crime elements moved into other rackets, such as illegal gambling and union shakedowns. The postwar era was characterized by a flourishing waterfront...By the end of the 1950s, however, the implementation of containerized shipping led to the decline of West Side piers...In addition, the construction of the Lincoln Tunnel devastated much of Hell's Kitchen south of 39th Street...

By 1965, Hell's Kitchen was home base of the Westies, a deeply violent Irish American crew aligned with the Gambino crime family. It was not until the 1980s that widespread gentrification began to alter the demographics of the longtime working-class Irish American neighborhood. The 1980s also saw an end to the Westies' reign of terror, when the gang lost all of its power after the RICO convictions of most of its principals...Today Hell's Kitchen is an increasingly upscale neighborhood of affluent young professionals, as well as residents from the 'old days'. It has also acquired a large diverse community as residents have moved north from Chelsea."  from Wikipedia



Unknown source of name "Hell's Kitchen".  Possibly from:
  1. a tenement on 54th 
  2. a building at 39th
  3. a gang or local dive with similar name
  4. a similar violent area of London
  5. NJ residents who would see smoke rising from neighborhood
  6. a corruption of Heil's Kitchen, a German lady who ran a restaurant near the docks
  7. A veteran NYPD cop, Dutch Fred, on patrol with a rookie cop on West 39th St near 10th Ave. The two cops witnessed a small riot and the rookie said to Dutch, "This place is Hell itself,"  to which the veteran cop replied, "Hell's a mild climate. This is Hell's Kitchen, no less."

http://nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID-HellsKitchen.htm

http://forgotten-ny.com/2003/05/forgotten-tour-12-hells-kitchen-manhattan/

http://untappedcities.com/2012/10/12/gang-history-in-hells-kitchen/

 

[mack]

Engine 34 2001 ALF:


I believe Engine 34's 2001 was a prototype unit on loan to FDNY and then immediately purchased from ALF after September 11, 2001.  It served at Engine 34 until replaced by a Seagrave and then went to Engine 257 for a short period of time and then to Governor's Island.

It had a 6 cylinder Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine.