The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

Property Name	Fire Hook and Ladder Company No. 14
Reference Number	13000309
State	New York
County	New York
Town	New York
Street Address	120 East 125th Street
Multiple Property Submission Name	N/A
Status	Listed 5/22/2013
Link to full file	http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000309.pdf

Fire Hook & Ladder Company No. 14 building is significant under National Register Criterion C, since it “embodies distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.” The Romanesque Revival style firehouse, designed by the architectural firm of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons and constructed in 1888-89, operated in its purpose built use until 1975. Fire Hook & Ladder Company No. 14’s firehouse, built on the site of two former firehouses, was constructed to serve the needs of Upper Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood which continued to expand northward in the late 19th century. The firehouse is one of 42 structures designed by LeBrun & Sons for the New York City Fire Department between 1880 and 1895 when the firm defined the Department’s functional and symbolic expression of civic architecture. Fire Hook & Ladder No. 14 is representative of the firm’s approach to firehouse design during a highly politicized period for the Fire Department and a time of intense urbanization for the city at large. Consistent with other LeBrun era mid-block firehouse designs, Fire Hook & Ladder No. 14 relates to the commercial character of East 125th Street, and adheres to the existing street wall. Fire Hook & Ladder No. 14 is distinguished as both a civic and a utilitarian structure and reflects LeBrun & Son’s attention to materials, stylistic details, plan and setting. The building’s period of significance commences with the firehouse’s construction (1888-1889) and extends to when Fire Hook and Ladder Company No. 14 vacated the premises (1975).

 

Properties are listed in the National Register of Historic Places under four criteria: A, B, C, and D. For information on what these criterion are and how they are applied, please see our Bulletin on How to Apply the National Register Criteria

Quicklinks

Search the National Register Database
Find out what we listed this past week
Features