FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies
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manhattan said:
I believe several others have changed or added nicknames, too.
Some history - Company nicknames were standard in NYC (Man/Bklyn/Qns/Bx/SI) volunteer companies in the 1800s before the paid department was established. Every engine, hose and ladder company had their apparatus, helmets and firehouses identified with name and illustrations. The name preceded the engine number - "Howard Engine 34" - and was used in newspapers, reports, records. Active volunteer companies still maintain their historic names - "Oceanic Hook and Ladder Company 1" in SI.
The Tombs - There was apparently a proposal to convert The Tombs to an FDNY Fire Academy at one time:
History:
"The Tombs is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex...a municipal jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the nickname for three previous city-run jails in the former Five Points neighborhood of lower Manhattan, an area now known as the Civic Center.
The original Tombs, officially known as the Halls of Justice, was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style. It was a replacement for the colonial era Bridewell Prison, located in today's City Hall Park. The new structure incorporated material from the Bridewell (built in 1735 and demolished in 1838), mainly granite, to save money.
The four buildings known as The Tombs were:
Tombs I, 1838?1902, New York City Halls of Justice and House of Detention
Tombs II, 1902?1941, City Prison
Tombs III, 1941?1974, Manhattan House of Detention
Tombs IV, 1983/1990?present, Manhattan Detention Complex (known as the Bernard B. Kerik Complex from 2001 to 2006)"
-Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tombs#City_Prison.2C_1902.E2.80.931941
http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/histry3a.html
The Tombs - built 1902:
Drawing of possible conversion to FDNY training academy:
History:
"The Tombs is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex...a municipal jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the nickname for three previous city-run jails in the former Five Points neighborhood of lower Manhattan, an area now known as the Civic Center.
The original Tombs, officially known as the Halls of Justice, was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style. It was a replacement for the colonial era Bridewell Prison, located in today's City Hall Park. The new structure incorporated material from the Bridewell (built in 1735 and demolished in 1838), mainly granite, to save money.
The four buildings known as The Tombs were:
Tombs I, 1838?1902, New York City Halls of Justice and House of Detention
Tombs II, 1902?1941, City Prison
Tombs III, 1941?1974, Manhattan House of Detention
Tombs IV, 1983/1990?present, Manhattan Detention Complex (known as the Bernard B. Kerik Complex from 2001 to 2006)"
-Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tombs#City_Prison.2C_1902.E2.80.931941
http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/histry3a.html
The Tombs - built 1902:
Drawing of possible conversion to FDNY training academy:
mack said:Lt. John McDonald, Engine 235, January 17, 1943 - rescue - Brooklyn Citizens Medal
LT William J. McGraw, Engine 235 - January 13, 1952 - rescue - Brooklyn Citizens Medal
FF Dennis W. Williams, Engine 235 - off duty rescue March 3, 1985 - Chief Williams Medal
BC Raymond M. Brown, Battalion 57, August 29, 1982 - Captain Denis W. Lane Memorial Medal
I had to meet My Aunt at Atlantic & Nostrand Aves. I was early so I walked to 235 and met a young buff,we exchanged Hellos etc, He told me he was waiting for his Uncle. His Uncle shows up and I couldn't believe my eyes it was Vin Scully the announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. he lived over by St. Peter Clavers Church and school. He told me to meet there next Saturday and he would take us to the Dodger Game and have Happy Felton give us a glove & bat,true to his word that's what happened, never saw the Nephew nor Vin after that as I think they went to LA.
JOR176 said:mack said:Lt. John McDonald, Engine 235, January 17, 1943 - rescue - Brooklyn Citizens Medal
LT William J. McGraw, Engine 235 - January 13, 1952 - rescue - Brooklyn Citizens Medal
FF Dennis W. Williams, Engine 235 - off duty rescue March 3, 1985 - Chief Williams Medal
BC Raymond M. Brown, Battalion 57, August 29, 1982 - Captain Denis W. Lane Memorial Medal
I had to meet My Aunt at Atlantic & Nostrand Aves. I was early so I walked to 235 and met a young buff,we exchanged Hellos etc, He told me he was waiting for his Uncle. His Uncle shows up and I couldn't believe my eyes it was Vin Scully the announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. he lived over by St. Peter Clavers Church and school. He told me to meet there next Saturday and he would take us to the Dodger Game and have Happy Felton give us a glove & bat,true to his word that's what happened, never saw the Nephew nor Vin after that as I think they went to LA.
Great memory.
Happy Felton's Knothole Gang:
Was a Brooklyn Dodger-produced pre-game show before every home game telecast on free television channel 9 (and all Diodger home games were televised in that era for free on channel 9)...it was sponsored by the Mutual Savings Bank of Brooklyn (as opposed to the commercial banks) and worked like this:
3 baseball players of the same age playing the same position from 3 different sandlot baseball programs in Brooklyn...for example you could have 3 9 year old pitchers from little leagues in Brooklyn...they were interviewed for a few minutes by Happy Felton, given a Brooklyn Dodger
cap and a yearbook and then one of the Dodgers worked them out...for example in the above example if there were 3 9 year old pitchers, Campy would work them out...if it were 3 catchers, one of the pitchers would work them out...and at the end select the player he thought was best in the workout. The winner was then given the opportunity to choose one of the Dodgers to meet with next game and then spend time in the Dodger dugout with the players. The show ended with the winning player from the previous game interviewing his favorite Dodger and disappearing with him into the Dodger dugout."
A post-game show on Channel 9 after Brooklyn home games was also hosted by Happy Felton and called "Talk to the Stars." A member of each team sat with him and answer calls phoned in by witnesses (the callers were pre screened...I know that...I sent in my mom's name one time and they called her before the game and told her she would be one of the callers after the game...I told her what to ask. We got a carton of cigarettes (unfortunately mom was a big smoker plus 2 general admissin tickets to an upcoming Dodger game!
On weekends on channel 9, following Talk to the Stars, there was a post post game show hosted by a fellow named Harry Wismer, later to be of New York Titan (actually Titans of New York) fame and sponsored by General Tire which just so happened to own channel 9.
Brooklyn Dodger Memories: http://www.brooklyndodgermemories.com/
Brooklyn Dodger pitcher Joe Black and Manager Chuck Dressen visit Engine 249/Ladder 113 firehouse close to Ebbets Field 1950s:
Engine 249/Ladder 113 firehouse:
Engine 280/Ladder 132 firehouse also located close to old Ebbets Field.
Ebbets Field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbets_Field) was located on Bedford Avenue in Flatbush. It was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 to 1957, but was also home to three professional football teams in the 1920s and the site of many important events.
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/ebbets-field/
Ebbets Field Housing Complex - built 1962 :
http://nypost.com/2016/01/12/ebbets-field-apartments-are-getting-a-makeover/
Engine 249/Ladder 113 firehouse:
Engine 280/Ladder 132 firehouse also located close to old Ebbets Field.
Ebbets Field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbets_Field) was located on Bedford Avenue in Flatbush. It was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 to 1957, but was also home to three professional football teams in the 1920s and the site of many important events.
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/ebbets-field/
Ebbets Field Housing Complex - built 1962 :
http://nypost.com/2016/01/12/ebbets-field-apartments-are-getting-a-makeover/
Ebbetts Field Houses is so large that it faces on four streets and therefore has different addresses and different box numbers. The one used most frequently is 3762: Bedford Avenue and Montgomery Street. When first constructed, the buildings had terrible incinerators and we were there almost daily.
Tragically, LT John Martinson, Engine 249, died in a fire at the Ebbets Field housing project in 2008.
LODD. BROOKLYN BOX 22-3762 17OO BEDFORD AVENUE JANUARY 3, 2O08
RIP. Never forget.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/fallen-bravest-died-putting-men-city-article-1.342619
https://firefighterspot.com/2008/01/04/fdny-lodd-bravest-dies-lt-john-h-martinson-killed-in-crown-heights-high-rise-fire/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/nyregion/06ebbetts.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_STiF0TZxM
FDNY Report:
http://www.iaff.org/hs/LODD_Manual/LODD%20Reports/New%20York%20City,%20NY%20-%20%20Martinson.pdf
LODD. BROOKLYN BOX 22-3762 17OO BEDFORD AVENUE JANUARY 3, 2O08
RIP. Never forget.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/fallen-bravest-died-putting-men-city-article-1.342619
https://firefighterspot.com/2008/01/04/fdny-lodd-bravest-dies-lt-john-h-martinson-killed-in-crown-heights-high-rise-fire/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/nyregion/06ebbetts.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_STiF0TZxM
FDNY Report:
http://www.iaff.org/hs/LODD_Manual/LODD%20Reports/New%20York%20City,%20NY%20-%20%20Martinson.pdf
Engine 259/Ladder 128/Battalion 45 33-51 Greenpoint Avenue Firehouse Renovation 2009
Architect site:
"This commission from the FDNY called for the renovation and addition to a classic NYC firehouse. The FDNY stipulated that the building be restored rather than replaced, despite the fact that the structure was incapable of carrying the loads of the modern fire trucks, and the original spaces were built for obsolete technologies and social structures. As such, we had to gut and temporarily support the brick shell of the original building, in order to thread new structure, spaces, and mechanicals within.
Beyond solving the myriad of technological and logistical issues inherent to a modern firehouse, we set out to create a coherent series of dignified spaces suitable to the varied programmatic needs of the firefighters. The program includes a garage for three trucks and fueling, as well as spaces for cooking, dining, a lounge, offices and training rooms, locker rooms, a dormitory, laundry, and an exercise facility. To this we added an exterior terrace with a barbecue."
http://andrewbermanarchitect.com/projects/engine_company_259_firehouse
Additional sites:
https://cisconefirephotos.smugmug.com/FDNY-Queens/Engine-259-Ladder-128/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/5254369465
Architect site:
"This commission from the FDNY called for the renovation and addition to a classic NYC firehouse. The FDNY stipulated that the building be restored rather than replaced, despite the fact that the structure was incapable of carrying the loads of the modern fire trucks, and the original spaces were built for obsolete technologies and social structures. As such, we had to gut and temporarily support the brick shell of the original building, in order to thread new structure, spaces, and mechanicals within.
Beyond solving the myriad of technological and logistical issues inherent to a modern firehouse, we set out to create a coherent series of dignified spaces suitable to the varied programmatic needs of the firefighters. The program includes a garage for three trucks and fueling, as well as spaces for cooking, dining, a lounge, offices and training rooms, locker rooms, a dormitory, laundry, and an exercise facility. To this we added an exterior terrace with a barbecue."
http://andrewbermanarchitect.com/projects/engine_company_259_firehouse
Additional sites:
https://cisconefirephotos.smugmug.com/FDNY-Queens/Engine-259-Ladder-128/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/5254369465
Your Second aerial photo of Ebbets Field, looking westward toward Flatbush Avenue and Prospect Park shows the FDNY Brooklyn Central Office [Dispatchers] at Washington Avenue and Empire Blvd, upper left. RIP. The powers-that-be have deemed it practical to close down our individual Borough Central Offices.
811 said:
Brooklyn Central Office, Bureau of Fire Communications
Address: 35 Empire Boulevard, corner of Washington Avenue
Neighborhood: Prospect Heights
Year Built: 1913
Architectural Style: Italian Renaissance Revival
Architect: Frank J. Helmle
http://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/building-of-the-day-35-empire-boulevard/
Opening - Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper - October 21, 1913:
https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53164970/?terms=FIRE%2BALARM%2B%2BTELEGRAPH%2BSTATION%2BFRANK%2B%2BHELMLE
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Ebbets Field Houses have seen some heavy fire duty and some good rescues over the years. Continued Rest in Peace to Lt. Martinson. Shame that the Brooklyn C.O. isn't in business any more, home to fine Dispatchers.
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