E277/L112 to get new house

[Guest FDNY242Buff]

http://ufalocal94.org/news_stories/nypost/...t_01_23_05.html

PENTHOUSE OF FIRE

By ANGELA MONTEFINISE

It's the firehouse of the future — and it costs $8 million.

The new three-story home of Ladder Co. 112 and Engine Co. 277 in Bushwick will be the most innovative firehouse in the city, according to plans presented to Brooklyn's Community Board 4 last week.

The station will feature a striking glass façade, stylishly curved and carved concrete walls, a state-of-the-art gym and a modern kitchen, lounge, offices and bunking quarters.

It's a stark departure from the companies' old quarters — once dubbed "The Ant Farm" because it was so tiny and antiquated that firefighters would bump into each other while responding to an alarm.

The fresh design, developed by city Department of Design and Construction architects, is a sign of things to come for the FDNY, even as the agency and city struggle with budget issues.

"The firehouses we are building now should be our modern equivalent of the great early firehouses around the turn of the century," DDC spokeswoman Elizabeth Harris said. "We want our generation to leave the same legacy of excellence in design, with a contemporary expression."

About 67 percent of the city's firehouses were built between 1890 and 1930, according to FDNY records.

Engine 277 and Ladder 112 were displaced two years ago when their dilapidated house on Knickerbocker Avenue was condemned. The house was built for a single company at the turn of the century when fire carts were pulled by horses.

The station was so narrow that a modern engine and ladder truck couldn't sit side by side, so the truck had to park in front of the engine, blocking its exit during an emergency.

The companies are currently operating out of Engine 222's house on Ralph Avenue, six blocks away.

In order to expand the size of the house, the FDNY has leased a 25-by-100-foot portion of PS 291's schoolyard.

Construction of the firehouse — which needs to go through an environmental review — was approved unanimously by Board 4. If it gets required approvals, ground can be broken as early as this summer.

While a handful of firefighters interviewed by The Post said they welcomed a new workplace, one described it as a waste of money at a time the city is shutting firehouses and cutting back on five-man crews.

"What do we need a new firehouse for?" he said. "We're just fine here. Why waste $8 million?"