The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse, Fieldston, Bronx NY
Description
The Works Progress Administration constructed the firehouse on the Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of the Bronx.
Frank da Cruz with the Kermit Project describes the history of the firehouse thus: “The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse at 4550 Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of Bronx NY (MAP), serving Fieldston, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, and Marble Hill since 1884. The present building was designed and constructed in 1939[1,2] by the US Works Projects Administration[2]:
Public Buildings … The new house built by the WPA for Engine Company 52 at 4550 Riverdale Avenue replaces an old frame building. The new structure, of a design to harmonize with the architecture of the neighborhood, is a two-story and basement building 75 feet 8 inches by 74 feet, with a three-story hose tower, the whole of steel and brick construction with limestone trim, lead-coated copper roof, copper kalamein doors and windows and glazed terra cotta walls throughout the first floor.[2,p.24]
The firehouse is still there and active, but the name of this part of the street has changed from Riverdale Avenue to Henry Hudson Parkway East. You can see the building has a promising-looking plaque right of the door but ironically, the plaque (next image) does not credit the WPA, so for this building, the New Deal pedigree comes from a WPA document[2] and not from the plaque, which is the opposite of case of the City Island firehouse.”
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The old wood-frame Firehouse 52 that was replaced by the WPA brick firehouse in 1939.
engine52k
The old wood-frame Firehouse 52 that was replaced by the WPA brick firehouse in 1939.
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Fieldston Firehouse Hose Tower
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Firehouse with 3-story hose tower (for drying hoses).
The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse, Fieldston, Bronx NY
Firehouse with 3-story hose tower (for drying hoses).
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The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse, Fieldston, Bronx NY: Memorial to firefighters lost September 11, 2001
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The fire engine (water pumping truck) and the hook and ladder (rescue) truck
The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse, Fieldston, Bronx NY
The fire engine (water pumping truck) and the hook and ladder (rescue) truck
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Building Plaque
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Building Plaque
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Building Plaques
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The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse in the Fieldston section of Bronx NY
Source notes
The New York Times: "2 FIRE HOUSES STARTED," April 26, 1937 (pg. 12)
The New York Times: "NEW FIRE STATION BEGUN, April 17, 1938, (pg. 2)
Plaque
Mike Boucher BXCO, Fire Company Locations of New City, for F.D.N.Y. Home page, last modified 4 Aug 2011 (accessed 20 July 2018): "COMBINATION ENGINE COMPANY 52 BRONX ORG. 4550 Riverdale Ave. (Aug. 30, 1884) DISB. To Org. Engine 52 (Nov. 1, 1928) ENGINE 52 BRONX ORG. 4550 Riverdale Ave. FQ CEC-52 (Nov. 1, 1928) NQTRS. 4550 Riverdale Ave. W/ L-52 (May 1, 1939) ENGINE 52 (2) BRONX ORG. 4550 Riverdale Ave. At E-52 (Jan. 13, 1955) DISB. (Aug. 21, 1956)"
Somervell, Brehon, The Record for 1939 In New York City, United States Works Projects Administration, New York, N.Y. (1939), page 24. Digital version accessed on August 7, 2018 via the Hathi Trust Digital Library.
Project originally submitted by Evan Kalish on March 23, 2018.
Additional contributions by Frank da Cruz.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
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