The closed FDNY Engine 212 Firehouse

Published on: August 12th, 2007 | Last updated: April 21, 2015 | Written by: Bad Guy Joe

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C’mon… you know we had to. 4 years ago, this firehouse (as well as a few others) was shut down by a city government bent on saving as much cash as it could. I knew immediately that I’d have to find my way into at least one of them, permission be damned.

FDNY Engine 212 was called ‘The People’s Firehouse”. In the 1970s, the city tried to close it. Protesters prevented the city from removing the truck. All was well for many years until Businessman-turned-mayor Bloomberg bought himself the job of NYC Mayor. (there were protests in 2003, they just didn’t succeed nor were they as robust as in the past).

The fire fighters that worked out of this house were all reassigned. Their truck was sent to cover Governors Island – a small island in the NYC harbor that has zero population.

What would be still more insulting would be if the city had sold the house to developers. This has not happened yet. The prevailing expectation is that it will be sold to or rented to a non-profit group that will find some sort of community use for the building. This process, of choosing a group and ironing out the details is expected to take some time though.

And during that time, the building sits empty. And not just empty, but facing some wear and tear from the elements and time. Hopefully it won’t fall into complete disrepair.

Update: April, 2015. The building was saved and given to local non-profit groups for community use. Fund raising to preserve and convert the structure began in 2009. Currently over $1.6M have been raised, though it doesn’t seem work has begun. It is at least encouraging to know that something great may yet come of this space. Check out ‘Northside Town Hall’ for updates.

Comments

NOTE: It sometimes takes a short while for comments to be approved - unfortunately there's a lot of spam comments that come in. I absolutely love when y'all share personal stories of friends relatives etc who worked in these places. It really helps capture what these places were like before they closed up shop.

If you're feeling salty, argumentative comments completely devoid of facts (supply links to support your argument) will not be published. Got a case to state? come with the details.

3 responses to “The closed FDNY Engine 212 Firehouse”

1. Martin Valentino says:

   February 22, 2020 at 7:17 PM

   Hello, To whom it may concern, I’m trying to find out how I can get information on this firehouse to purchase. My intentions are to restore it to its original condition, n make it livable and give tours. 🤗

2. Bad Guy Joe says:

   February 23, 2020 at 3:22 PM

   Have you checked the NYC tax map website? It should have an owners name on file (hopefully not hidden behind some LLC—which would make it near impossible to find the owners)

3. Amy E Bieselin says:

   March 9, 2021 at 11:01 AM

   My father was a fireman here for 17 years. I can only hope it gets used for something worthwhile. I remember coming to the Christmas party each year here. Thanks for the photos. Many memories. -A. Bieselin daughter of Thomas J. Bieselin Engine 212 1970-1987

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