LP-2669
Firehouse, Engine Company 88/Ladder Company 38 – 2225 Belmont Avenue
ITEM PROPOSED FOR PUBLIC HEARING
A 1908 Prairie-style firehouse designed by Herts & Tallant.
As the citywide advocate for New York’s architectural, historical and cultural neighborhoods, HDC enthusiastically supports the designation of Firehouse, Engine Company 88/Ladder Company 38 as an Individual Landmark.
Designed by the firm of Herts & Tallant and completed in the Belmont section of the Bronx in 1908, the Engine Company 88 Firehouse is both a historical testament to the professionalization of the FDNY following the consolidation of all 5 boroughs of New York City in 1898, and a standout architectural example of Prairie-Style architecture deployed for a civic structure.
The Firehouse’s location at 2225 Belmont Avenue in the Bronx is as significant as its history and architecture: The Belmont neighborhood is not home to a single landmarked structure. This designation would be the first in a neighborhood with rich cultural history and many buildings worthy of consideration for future designations.
Given that LPC committed to focusing on equity in designations, and to pursuing landmark designations in the Bronx under its 2021 Equity Framework, it is time, and long overdue, for LPC to turn its attention to Belmont and designate Firehouse Engine Company 88.
In March of this year, HDC sent the Landmarks Preservation Commission a list of more than 80 buildings in the Bronx which we believe merit consideration for landmark status. The list was compiled through HDC’s advocacy work done in conjunction with our 6 to Celebrate Community
Partners, and our Bronx Borough Landmarks Committee, a consortium of community advocates from across the borough.
Scores of properties in the Bronx are historically, architecturally, and culturally significant, and worthy of designation. Several districts in the Bronx offer a historical richness and sense of place that deserves preservation.
In addition to landmarking the Firehouse Engine Company 88, and the two other Bronx Sites on the docket today, we look forward to seeing the LPC advance its work on designations in the Bronx, and in other areas that have been under-preserved.