Engine 53/Ladder 43 firehouse 1836 3rd Avenue East Harlem, Manhattan
Engine 53 organized 175 East 104th Street 1885
Engine 53 new firehouse 1836 3rd Avenue 1974
Ladder 43 organized 240 East 111st Street at Engine 91 1913
Ladder 43 new firehouse 1836 3rd Avenue w/Engine 53 1974
Division 4 located at 1836 3rd Avenue at Engine 53 1974-1979
175 East 104th Street (former quarters Engine 53):
NYC Commission Landmarks East Harlem Firehouse 2008:
"Napoleon LeBrun & Sons? Fire Engine Company No. 53, a Symbol of New York City?s Growth in the Late 19th Century, Is Cited for Its Handsome Design, Materials and Details
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission today voted unanimously to give landmark status to Fire Engine Company No. 53, a four-story Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival-style building in East Harlem that was one of 42 firehouses and related structures designed for the City?s Fire Department by the prominent architecture firm Napoleon LeBrun & Sons between 1879 and 1895.
'This engine company was among the first of the handsome and highly functional buildings designed by LeBrun & Sons that set the standard for firehouse construction in New York City,' said Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney. 'The building?s marvelous details and design remain intact, and recall the days when horses, and later fire trucks, charged out of the main entrance to save lives and properties.'
Located at 175 E. 104th St., Fire Engine Company No. 53 was constructed between 1883 and 1884, and covered the area bounded by Fifth and First avenues and 96th and 116th streets. The fire company moved into the building in January 1885, and responded to approximately 154 fires in the district during its first year of operation.
The building is currently being restored by Manhattan Neighborhood Network as a state-of the-art community media center. It is due to open in 2009.
The Fire Department commissioned LeBrun & Sons in 1880 to be the lead architect for a major campaign to construct dozens of distinctively designed firehouses as part of an effort by the FDNY to establish a strong municipal presence in the City, which was in the early stages of a period of intensive growth. The firm introduced such design innovations as indoor horse stalls on the ground floor and hose drying towers.
Fire Engine Company No. 53, a four-story brick building, is comprised of a cast-iron base with a wide entrance, and features decorative motifs such as torches, terra cotta sunflowers and sunbursts, and a pair of small pediments that are supported by corbelled brick brackets. The fa?ade is virtually identical to that of a former firehouse at 304 W. 47th St., in Manhattan, which also was designed by Napoleon LeBrun & Sons and was nominated earlier this year for New York City landmark status. A vote on the proposed designation is expected at a later date.
Napoleon LeBrun, the son of French immigrants, established his architecture practice in Philadelphia in 1841, and relocated it to New York City in 1864. The firm is responsible for a number of churches in Manhattan, as well as several office buildings, including Metropolitan Life?s headquarters at 1 Madison Ave. and the Home Life Insurance Company Building, both of which are New York City landmarks.
Engine Company 53 was used as a fire station until 1974, and is now owned by Manhattan Neighborhood Network."
http://www.mnn.org/news/nyc-commission-landmarks-east-harlem-firehouse
Firehouse history:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/FireEngineNo53.pdf
244 East 111st Street (original quarters Ladder 43, current Engine 91, formerly Engine 91-2/Battalion 25):
1836 3rd Avenue (quarters Engine 53/Ladder 43/formerly Division 4):
Engine 53 apparatus:
Ladder 43 apparatus:
RAC 1 apparatus:
Ladder 43 members:
1970s:
Ladder 43 Centennial:
Engine 53/Ladder 43/RAC 1 videos:
Ladder 43 vintage video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=mlk2t5Ge5Y4
Ladder 43 rope rescue (2nd video):
http://nycfire.net/forums/index.php/topic,3017.0.html
Firehouse visits/responses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsG4cHvPndM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mj1DoNTRJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgnxmR0uA2Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Qpeq3ZtBc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7pLvel7QCM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EAvXTQTfIo
LODDS:
Lt. Thomas A. Bowler, Ladder 43, Manhattan box 1582, 1582 Madison Avenue, severe hand laceration, died from septic poisoning, injured January 2, 1934, died January 15, 1934
Lt Louis W. Finger, working Ladder 43/detailed from Engine 64, Manhattan box 1292, 64 East 104th Street, smoke poisoning, May 7, 1954
FF Julius Feldman, Ladder 43, Manhattan box 33-1405, 231-233 East 118th Street, blown out of 6th floor window while venting, August 31, 1953
FF Leo J. Ray, Engine 53, heart attack, February 15, 1962
FF Carmelo J. Puccia, Engine 53, Manhattan box 1236, struck by freight train after power off requested, Penn Central RR, January 6, 1970
RIP. Never forget.
Ladder 43 mascot 1940s:
Ladder 43 Centennial:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/events/2013/091913a.shtml
Engine 53/Ladder 43 website:
http://www.eng53lad43.com/
East Harlem/Spanish Harlem/El Barrio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Harlem
http://www.east-harlem.com/cb11_197A_history.htm