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FDNY Engine 33 / Ladder 9 · 42 Great Jones Street
FDNY Engine 33 / Ladder 9
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Gotham fire house and engine, East 3rd St. (now Ladder 9, Engine 33, 42 Great Jones Street), New York City, 1901.

1901

FDNY Engine 33 / Ladder 9

Gotham fire house and engine, East 3rd St. (now Ladder 9, Engine 33, 42 Great Jones Street), New York City, 1901.

IMAGE DATE1901
FromNew-York Historical Society logoNew-York Historical Society

Gotham firehouse and engine, 1901.

Built in 1898-1899, the W. B. Chambers and Ernest Flagg-designed firehouse is a classic Beaux-Arts structure. The facade of red brick and limestone is dominated by a monumental arch. Engine Co. 33 which has been housed here since its completion, was initially established in November of 1865 at 220 Mercer Street. The building was designed to include the fire chief's “night headquarters” and in June 1899 Chief Edward F. Crocker moved in. His office was said to have "usual paintings, statuary, and hunting accoutrements."

On March 25, 1911, Engine Co. 33 was one of the first responders to the nearby Triangle Factory fire. Chief Crocker retired five weeks after the fire after 27 years with the FDNY, citing his wish "to prevent, instead of fight fires. In 2001, 10 of the 14 firemen from Engine 33 that responded to the WTC never returned home. A plaque on the facade honors them.

This building also has the distinction of being double landmarked, first as an individual landmark in 1968 and again as part of the NoHo Historic District Extension in 2008.

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