Hook and Ladder No. 4 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hook and Ladder No. 4
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North (front) elevation and west profile, 2011
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Albany, New York |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1909–1912. |
| Architect | Marcus T. Reynolds |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000247 |
| Added to NRHP | March 12, 2001 |
Hook and Ladder No. 4, also known as Truck No. 4, is a historic firehouse in Albany, New York. It's located on Delaware Avenue, a busy street in the city. This building is special because of its unique design, which uses a style called Dutch Colonial Revival.
The firehouse was designed by a famous Albany architect named Marcus T. Reynolds and finished in 1912. In 2001, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's recognized as an important historical building. It's one of the few public buildings Reynolds designed and a rare example of this architectural style in Albany, a city founded by Dutch settlers long ago. The building has cool features like stepped gables (roof sections that look like steps) and special terra cotta sculptures that tell stories about Albany's past. It was built as Albany grew in the early 1900s and is still used as a firehouse today.
What Does It Look Like?
This fire station is in the southern part of Albany, in an area called the Delaware Neighborhood. Most of the buildings around it are homes, but there are also some shops nearby. Right across the street is St. James' Catholic Church, another important building in the neighborhood.
Outside the Firehouse
The firehouse is a two-and-a-half-story building made of brick. The bricks are laid in a special pattern called Flemish bond, which makes the building look even more interesting. The roof is made of copper and has a four-horn fire siren in the middle, ready to sound an alarm!
The front of the building has two big garage doors for fire trucks. Between them is the main door for people to enter. Around these openings, you can see cool designs made from brick and olive green terra cotta. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay used for decoration. Above the garages and main entrance are wrought iron crosses.
The building also has unique towers on its corners. These towers have terra cotta decorations that look like alternating bricks and terra cotta blocks. The windows on the sides of the building are tall and rounded.
One of the most striking features is the two tall, stepped gables on the front roof. These gables look like giant steps. Each step is decorated with terra cotta. At the very top of each gable, there's a three-foot-tall beaver holding a shield. Between the two gables, there's a fancy crest with two gargoyles holding Albany's city coat of arms. These details are a nod to Albany's history.
Inside the Firehouse
The main entrance has a fancy terra cotta frame. Above the door, a plaque says "A.F.D., 1910," which stands for Albany Fire Department and the year.
Inside, the first floor is mostly one big space for the fire engines. The floor is cement, and the walls are white. The ceiling is made of dark wood panels. There's also a locker room, a dining room/kitchen, and some office space.
Upstairs, you'll find the firefighters' living quarters and a workout room. The back part of the building, which used to be stables for horses, has been turned into a comfortable lounge for the firefighters. There's also a bathroom in the base of the tower.
A Look Back in Time
Fire protection in Albany started a very long time ago, even before it was called Albany! When the city was known as Fort Orange (from its Dutch beginnings), people were worried about fires. The city council made rules that each neighborhood needed two fire ladders. They even had "Brant masters" (fire masters) who checked chimneys every two weeks to prevent fires.
Later, the city came under English rule. More rules were made, like keeping two buckets of water near any fireplace. In 1732, Albany bought its first fire equipment. Two years later, the first firehouse was built downtown.
For many years, Albany had a volunteer fire department. But as the city grew in the 1800s, with more people and industries thanks to the Erie Canal and railroads, it needed full-time, professional firefighters. So, in 1867, Albany got its first professional fire department.
By the early 1900s, Albany was expanding. A trolley line was built along Delaware Avenue, and people living on Marshall Street asked for a new fire station. In 1909, the city council agreed to build a new fire station at the corner of Delaware and Marshall. They hired Marcus T. Reynolds to design it. This was his only public building that wasn't a school!
Reynolds chose the Dutch Colonial Revival style to honor Albany's Dutch past, even though no original Dutch buildings remained. The stepped gables were a key part of this style. The terra cotta decorations on the building also told stories about the city's history. Some people even say the four heads on the first story are portraits of Reynolds and other important city officials from that time. The beavers on the roof are an old symbol for both Albany and New York State.
When the station, then called Truck No. 4, was designed, it was for horse-drawn fire equipment. It even had special harnesses that would drop from the ceiling onto the horses when an alarm sounded! But things changed quickly. In 1913, the station got a chemical wagon, and by 1915, it had its first motorized vehicle. The horses were retired in 1919.
Over the years, the firehouse has been updated. In the early 1960s, bigger engines were brought in. In 1991, the inside of the building was renovated. Many of the old features from the horse-drawn era were changed for modern use, like turning the old stables into a lounge for firefighters.
