Engine 261 / Ladder 116 Firehouse
37-20 29th Street | also 37-22 29th Street | Dutch Kills | built 1940
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1932
Comptroller Charles W. Berry approves contracts for the stalled 29th Street firehouse
Construction of a new firehouse on 29th Street began in the 1930s, but once the foundation was in, work stopped by early 1932. The city's comptroller, Charles W. Berry, had not set aside money to build it. Berry finally signed off on the construction contracts in late March 1932.
“…work was halted by early 1932 because the New York City Comptroller, Charles W. Berry, had failed to allocate funds for construction…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1932
The firehouse opens as the first in Queens with a water tower of its own
The 29th Street firehouse opened in November 1932, built for two companies at once: Engine Company 261 and Ladder Company 116. It was the first firehouse in Queens to have its own water tower. Both companies moved in from their old quarters at 38-08 28th Street, a block away.
“The building opened in November 1932 and was the first firehouse in Queens with its own water tower.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2003
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces the closing of Engine Company 261 to save money
On May 26, 2003, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced six closures as a cost-saving measure, Engine Company 261 among them. The engine had covered Long Island City and Roosevelt Island; Ladder Company 116 stayed on in the building. Community Board 8 had not been properly told in advance, and a New York Supreme Court judge later ruled the closure illegal.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2017
Council member Jimmy Van Bramer campaigns to bring Engine 261 back
In June 2017 City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer and neighborhood residents began pushing to reopen Engine Company 261, pointing to Long Island City's fast-growing population. Representatives of the firefighters' association said the area served had grown from 60,000 people at the closure to 200,000 by 2015. The push intensified when Amazon picked a nearby site for HQ2, then stalled in mid-2019 after that campus was canceled.
“In June 2017, New York City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer and local residents started to advocate for Engine Company 261's reopening…”
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
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