Firthcliffe Firehouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Firthcliffe Firehouse
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The former firehouse, now a hair salon, in 2007
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| Location | 196 Willow Ave. Cornwall, NY |
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| Nearest city | Newburgh |
| Built | ca. 1900 |
| MPS | Historic and Architectural Resources of Cornwall |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000554 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1996 |
The Firthcliffe Firehouse is a historic building located on Willow Avenue in Cornwall, New York. It was built around 1900. Its main purpose was to protect the homes of workers who lived nearby. These homes were built by the Firth Carpet Company.
In 1996, the firehouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special building recognized for its history. Today, it is no longer a firehouse. It has been changed and is now used as a hair salon.
What the Firehouse Looks Like
The Firthcliffe Firehouse is a small, square building made of brick. It has one main floor. The roof is shaped like a pyramid and is covered with slate tiles.
A stone line separates the main floor from the basement. All the windows and doors have stone frames around them.
On the east side of the building, there is a square bell tower. This tower has its own pyramid-shaped roof. It stands on four brick pillars. This is where the fire bell would have been.
The front of the building used to have two large openings. These were for the fire trucks. Now, these openings have a window and a door. A small wooden roof sticks out over the main entrance. This roof helps protect people from rain or sun. The basement entrance also has a similar wooden roof.
Inside, the building was once one big open space. Now, there are walls that create smaller rooms. An interesting feature still there is the fireman's pole. This pole allowed firefighters to slide quickly from an upper floor to the ground floor. A simple wooden staircase leads to the basement and up to the bell tower.
A Look Back: History of the Firehouse
The Firthcliffe Firehouse was built because of a man named Charles Firthcliffe. He owned a textile mill near Moodna Creek in the late 1800s. A textile mill is a factory where cloth is made.
Mr. Firthcliffe built homes for his workers near the mill. This area became known as the hamlet of Firthcliffe by 1900. A hamlet is a very small village.
The firehouse was likely built around 1900 to keep these new homes safe from fires. It was a small building, probably only big enough for one fire truck. This suggests it was meant to protect just the local area. Its design was common for public buildings of that time.
Many of the original homes built by Charles Firthcliffe are still standing. However, most of them have been changed a lot over the years. The Firthcliffe Firehouse is special because it is the only building from that time that still looks much like it did when it was first built.
