Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters |
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Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, c.1910
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| General information | |
| Type | Originally a fire station, now residential apartments |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Address | 365-367 Jay Street Brooklyn, New York City |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Frank Freeman |
| References | |
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Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters
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| Built | 1892 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000854 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 20, 1972 |
The Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters is a cool old building in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It was designed by Frank Freeman in a special style called Richardsonian Romanesque. Built in 1892, it was first used as a fire station for many years. Later, it was changed into apartments where people live today. This building is considered "one of New York's best" and became a New York City landmark in 1966. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, which means it's an important historical place.
Contents
History of the Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters
Building the Fire Headquarters
Around 1890, the Brooklyn Fire Department decided they needed a new main building. They wanted it to have a tall tower for looking out. A piece of land was bought on Jay Street for $15,000. This land was right next to Engine Company 17's fire station.
There was a disagreement about who should design the new building. The Fire Commissioner wanted one architect. But the city works commissioner preferred another firm. Finally, they chose Frank Freeman as a compromise. Freeman was a well-known architect who designed buildings in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. He had recently finished another building for the local Democrats.
The new fire headquarters was finished in 1892. However, the fire department didn't move in until March 1894. It was meant to be the main headquarters for the Brooklyn Fire Department. But it only served in that role for six years. In 1898, the City of Brooklyn became part of the City of New York. After that, the building became a very grand neighborhood firehouse.
Life as a Fire Station
The building continued to be a firehouse for the New York City Fire Department until the 1970s. Many different fire units called it home. These included Ladder 110 and 118, and Engine 207. From 1947 to 1971, Battalion 31 was also based there.
In the 1930s, the building also housed Searchlight 2. This was a special unit that used a Packard car with big searchlights. This was before fire trucks had their own built-in searchlights. In 1966, the building was officially named a New York City landmark. Then, in 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
New Uses for the Building
After the Fire Department moved out, the building was rented for a while. Polytechnic University used it for some time. In 1987, there was a plan to turn the empty building into 18 apartments. These apartments would be for people with lower incomes and older adults. This plan was part of the MetroTech Center project.
Some people didn't like the idea, but the conversion went ahead in 1989. This was partly to make sure the building didn't fall apart. The Black United Fund of New York took care of the building from the 1990s until 2005. Then, ownership went back to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The building still needed a lot of work. In 2006, a newspaper said it felt "neglected" and needed repairs. Parts of its roof had broken down. In 2008, the Pratt Area Community Council received money to help fix up the firehouse. A company called Nomad Architecture started a project to turn the building into homes. This project began in 2011 and was finished in 2015.
Design of the Fire Headquarters
Outside the Building
The firehouse has two main parts. There's a five-story building with a basement. Next to it is a tall, seven-story watchtower that is about 120 feet (37 meters) high. The front of the building on Jay Street is about 50 feet (15 meters) wide.
A slender, round tower with a cone-shaped roof stands between these two parts. It goes up the full height of the building. Two similar towers on each side make the front of the building look balanced. Both the main building and the tower have red-tiled, pyramid-shaped roofs.
The front of the building has three main sections, called bays. The section on the far left includes the watchtower. It has two narrow windows on each floor from the second to the fifth. The two sections on the right make up the main building. They are separated by brick columns called pilasters. Each of these sections has one wide window on the second through fourth floors.
On the ground floor, there's a large, beautifully carved arch. This was once the main entrance where fire engines drove in. A sign saying "Fire Headquarters" used to hang above this arch. There's also another arch higher up in the tower.
The building has cool details like decorative studs above the tower arch. There are also round holes around the tops of the towers. The building is made of orange brick with terra cotta decorations. It also uses granite stone with red sandstone trim. The red-tiled roof has copper edges. The colors of the building are very clever and work well together. Overall, the building is a great example of the Chicago architectural style in New York.
Inside the Building
When the building was first built, the main entrance was on the ground floor. It was to the left of the garages. Oak doors opened into the lobby. Inside the lobby, there was an elevator with fancy wrought iron doors. The machine for the elevator was in the basement.
Also on the ground floor were the garages. These had space for both motor vehicles and horses. Horses were still used by the fire department at that time. On the second floor were the offices for the Commissioner and other fire chiefs. There were also administrative offices there.
The third floor held archives and supply rooms. It also had a room for firefighters who had broken rules. The fourth floor was used for training new firefighters. The entire fifth floor was for the telegraph alarm system. This system had miles of copper wire that stretched all over Brooklyn. All floors, except the ground floor, had wood finishes, mostly old oak.
See also
In Spanish: Edificio de la Jefatura de bomberos de Brooklyn para niños
