Opened 1903 | ||
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Similar 55 Central Park West, Engine Company 33 Fireho, New York City Fire Museum, Engine Company 31 Fireho, Firemen's Memorial | ||
Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 is a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire station, located at 14 North Moore Street at its intersection with Varick Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Its exterior has become iconic as the base of the Ghostbusters in the supernatural comedy film franchise of the same name.
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History
The firehouse was built in 1903 after the establishment of the FDNY as the base of the formerly independent Hook and Ladder fire company no. 8. The building was designed as the first of a series of Beaux-Arts style firehouses by the city superintendent of buildings, Alexander H. Stevens. The building, which originally had two vehicle doors, was halved in size in 1913 after Varick Street was widened.
The firefighters of Hook & Ladder No. 8 were among the first responders to the September 11, 2001, attacks. In 2011, the firehouse was threatened with closure after the city administration planned to close 20 fire companies to save money. But after a public campaign to save it, supported by the later Mayor Bill de Blasio and actor Steve Buscemi (the latter a trained New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984), the firehouse remains in service. From 2016 to 2017, it is subject to a renovation costing $6 million.
Filming location
The firehouse was selected as the base of the "Ghostbusters" for the 1984 film after an early draft of the script envisaged the Ghostbusters as a public service much like the fire department. Reportedly, the firehouse was chosen because writer Dan Aykroyd knew the area and liked the building. While the firehouse served as the set for exterior scenes, the interior of the Ghostbusters base was shot in a Los Angeles studio, and in Fire Station No. 23, a decommissioned Los Angeles firehouse.
In the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters, the firehouse makes two appearances. A rental agent shows it to the team when they are starting their business, but they reject it upon learning that the rent is $21,000 per month. At the end of the film, the Mayor of New York arranges for them to use the firehouse as their new headquarters, in gratitude for saving the city from a ghost invasion.
The firehouse has also appeared in the 2005 film Hitch and in an episode of the television series Seinfeld. In 2015, Lego announced a 4,634 piece "Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters" set based on the building, released in January 2016. It is the third largest set ever made by Lego.