the housewatch - New York City Fire Museum

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May 4, 2014 - modernization of our elevator, which will put the machine out of service for a ... Party Host, Amanda Piet
THE HOUSEWATCH

MAY 2014 Volume XXIV, Issue 1

Dear Museum Supporters,

COMING THIS OCTOBER:

It is bittersweet for me to announce that Damon Campagna has resigned as Executive Director to return to his hometown in Rhode Island. Under Mr. Campagna’s directorship, the museum changed in many progressive, positive ways. Most notably, he hired a Collections Manager/Curator, Amanda Pietrzykowski, to maintain the collection according to museum standards and to spearhead exhibit rotation. This is a giant step forward for the museum and will allow me, as Director, to focus on museum operations, events and fundraising at a crucial time for us. The sweet part, is of course, being asked to fulfill the vacant position. After four years of living in Northern California, most of which working for Humboldt Bay Fire as their Fire Services Officer, I am thrilled to be back serving the museum I love, in the city I love, with the fire department that everybody loves! A big thank you to the Museum Board of Directors and Commissioner Cassano for entrusting me to fulfill the Director’s role and uphold the mission of the museum.

FIREFIGHTER COOK-OFF & FUNDRAISER

If you haven’t visited us for a while, I invite you back to see the changes that occurred under Damon’s leadership. The gift shop received a make-over, the apparatus floor is more spacious and inviting, a Triangle Shirtwaist Fire exhibit now hangs in the elevator lobby, and currently the fire safety video room has a temporary display recounting the tumultuous “War Years” of the 70’s. Although the changes that have professionalized the museum are worth celebrating, unfortunately, we are facing a tough economic time. We are presently bracing for the modernization of our elevator, which will put the machine out of service for a five week period and be a hard hit to our coffers. Therefore we need support now more than ever. I hope you will join us for this year’s fundraising cook-off event scheduled for October, featuring FDNY chefs and celebrity judges. We guarantee great food, prizes and an evening of fun!

In This Issue: Capt. Dan Tracy

2

Great Fire of 1845

3

Museum News

4

Sincerely, Sarah Strickland-Judd Executive Director

Museum Staff, Left to Right: Anurahda Singh-Store Associate/Birthday Party Host, Amanda Pietrzykowski-Collections Manager, Eugene McCarthy-Custodian, Ann Broughton-Bookkeeper, Sarah StricklandJudd- Executive Director, Noemi Bourdier-Assistant Director/Special Events Coordinator, Darryl Patterson- Fire Safety Officer, Ashely Whelan-Gift Shop Manager

The Housewatch

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The Passing of an All-Time Great By William Hickey Watkins Street sadly announces the passing of an All-Time Great - Mr. Dan Tracy. Captain Dan Tracy represented the very best of the FDNY. He retired as one of the most decorated firefighters in the history of The Job, and a man whose humble demeanor was synonymous with the definition of a New York City Firefighter. Life is a journey, one that is full of gifts.

“Daniel Tracy, Legendary Member of Watkins Street.”

“Captain Daniel Tracy holds a young Terry Sykes in his hands after rescuing the child from a Brownsville fire.”

Every once in a while, during this journey, we are blessed to be in the presence of a special person whose actions inspire us to be just a little bit better. When you come across a person such as this – it is a gift. The Good Lord bestowed such a gift upon Watkins Street in the form of Dan Tracy. Dan was a three-time FDNY Medal Day Winner, had numerous citations for heroism and bravery, was on the front page of the Daily News, a Charter Member of L175 as a Lt, a three time Daily News “Hero of the Month”, saw a massive billboard with his likeness hung over the “cut” at Broadway Junction for several years, received a personal letter of commendation from Senator Robert F. Kennedy just months before his assassination, saw the establishment of the four year “Fireman Daniel J. Tracy Scholarship” at St. Johns University (which continues to this day), won the Journal American Award, and was part of the select group of officers who helped author “Ladders 3” which was the literary start of all official FDNY Firefighting Procedures – and a document that Captain Higgins calls, “The Bible”. Dan Tracy was an iconic figure and will remain a pillar of Watkins Street and will be remembered as a man who has established a bar of excellence that all of us will strive to uphold for eternity. Dan Tracy was the epitome of a gentleman and a guy whose radiant personality just made you feel good being around him. Dan asked us to please convey to all that he was prepared for this final chapter and was well aware of the outpouring of support directed towards his family. We brought him a Watkins Street patch just three days ago....and the first thing he asked us about was the "fire duty". He clutched OUR patch on his chest for the duration of our visit, he told us two funny stories about Seymore, he spoke with reverence about the fellas he had the pleasure to work with, he told us about a couple of “interesting” characters from the old neighborhood, …and his eyes teared up when he spoke about his beloved Watkins Street.... He kept thanking the current members for keeping the Tradition alive, and then he talked about Howie Carlson and then about a guy named Ed Casson.…his eyes lit up when we discussed the 120 Centennial, and he became very serious (showing immense pride) when he told his daughter what the horns on the rig represent ever since they adorned it in 1968…. Then quietly, Dan smiled and asked us to please just let everyone know, "I'm really doing OK.” Dan Tracy is a Watkins Street Icon. "The Tradition Continues...”

VISIT OUR GIFT SHOP AND ONLINE STORE! Museum membership entitles you to an exclusive promotion in our gift shop and online store. Museum members save 10% on all purchases. Be sure to check out our website for the latest gear and products. All gift shop purchases and online sales go to support the Museum’s mission.

The Housewatch No.1 May 2014

The Housewatch

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The Great Fire of 1845 By Gary Urbanowicz When there is mention of the “great” fires that destroyed an entire city, most people think of Chicago in 1871 or the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire in 1906. Few realize that New York was visited by three devastating fires in 1776, 1835 and 1845, the last claiming the life of one of New York’s Bravest.

Not to be overlooked is the full-sized portrait of Chief Engineer Cornelius Anderson, also on display on the museum’s second floor. Chief Anderson joined Hudson Engine Company 1 in 1830. On May 10, 1837 he was appointed Chief Engineer at the age of twenty-eight. It was under his leadership that the fateful fire of 1845 was fought.

In the summer of 1845, the City of New York was occupied by approximately 400,000 living souls on Manhattan island. The fire broke out at 34 New Street in J. L. Van Doren’s whale oil company. The flammable oil, a commonly used fuel for lamps, created an intense and quickly spreading blaze. When it communicated to the warehouse of Crocker and Warren at 38 Broad Street, its stockpile of saltpeter exploded with a force that took down seven buildings around it and was felt far across the bay in New Jersey. At the time of the explosion, Firemen Augustus Cowdrey and David Van Winkle from Northern Liberty Engine 42 were manning a hose line in front of an adjoining building.

The Great Fire of 1845’s story is told through these items that the museum’s second floor proudly showcases. “The life has gone, the breath has fled ” from the Volunteer Era in New York City, but the romance of firefighting of the faithful and fearless lives on through art, ribbons, badges, ornate apparatus and more in this gallery.

In total, the fire consumed an estimated 350 buildings roughly bounded by Wall Street on the north, Coenties Slip to the south, Broadway on the west and William Street on the east, during the ten hours it was alight. The museum collection includes two relics related to the Great Fire of 1845. The first and most poignant is the memorial plaque for Augustus Cowdrey. Museum members familiar with FDNY traditions, are aware that memorial plaques are installed in the company of a firefighter who died in the line of duty, in an unveiling one year after their passing. Today, the plaque is standardized and made of bronze. But from the earliest days of the volunteer Department and well into the 20th Century, plaques varied from company to company with many being made of marble or some other stone. Such is the case with Fireman Cowdrey’s stone, on display in the museum’s second floor gallery. Interestingly, an illustration of this very tablet was included in the landmark 1887 FDNY history book, “Our Firemen” by Augustine Costello.

Quote is taken from text on Firefighter Augustus L. Cowdrey’s memorial plaque, pictured above. 1

The second item is a Nathaniel Currier lithograph entitled, “View of the Great Conflagration at New York, July 19, 1845.” Measuring 12 by 18 inches, it includes the description, “View of The Terrific Explosion at the Great Fire in New York. / Engine No.22 Destroyed, And Several Lives Lost. / From Broad St. July 19TH 1845. / 17 Stores Blown Up...” Currier himself was a firefighter at the time and was engaged in the battle against this very fire. The Housewatch No. 1 May 2014

Location 278 Spring Street between Varick & Hudson Streets New York, NY 10013 Telephone (212) 691-1303 Fax (212) 352-3117 Email [email protected] Hours Monday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission $8 for adults, $5 for children, students and senior citizens Free for children under 2, active FDNY and NYPD members Subway #1 Train to Houston Street – Walk south on Varick Street – Turn right on Spring Street. C or E train to Spring Street and walk west

We’re on the Web! Visit us at: www.nycfiremuseum.org and Facebook!

278 Spring Street New York, NY 10013

The Housewatch No.1 May 2014

The Housewatch

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New Addition to Our Collection The New York City Fire Museum is pleased to add retired FDNY Lt Charlie McCarthy’s painting, “Da Bronx from the 60s to the 2000s” to our collection. The painting depicts a typical fire scene in the South Bronx during the late 60s and 70s, the infamous “war years” of the FDNY, when arson was ravaging that neighborhood. McCarthy joined the FDNY in 1960 and was transferred to Ladder 31 in 1964. When he arrived, Engine 82 and Ladder 31 were responding to about 3,000 alarms a year. The painting compares what the intersection of Seabury Place, Charlotte Street, and East 170th Street in the South Bronx looked like during his time on the job and today.

You can view McCarthy’s painting in our temporary exhibit, “FDNY in the 70’s,” now on display in the Fire Safety Room.

Host Your Next Event With Us! The Museum’s 3rd floor loft space is the perfect place to host your next special event. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday or coordinating an off-site meeting, our flexible space allows you to create the event of your dreams. With only one event at a time, you and your guests will enjoy the uncompromising attention to detail and exceptional personal service of our event coordinator. The third floor features hardwood floors, 12 foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, a vast expanse of southern facing windows and an equipped kitchen. The Housewatch is published by the New York City Fire Museum Editors: Sarah Strickland-Judd and Dorothy Marks Design and Layout: Assistant Director Noemi Bourdier