Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8
{{short description|Fire station in New York City, "Ghostbusters" HQ}}
{{Coord|40.7196|N|74.0066|W|display=title|dim:10_region:US-NY_type:landmark|name=Hook & Ladder Company 8 ("Ghostbusters" firehouse)}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8
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| image = Ghostbusters Fiyahouse.jpg
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| image_alt = Hook & Ladder Company 8's firehouse
| image_caption = Hook & Ladder Company 8's firehouse in June 2020
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| address = 14 North Moore Street, Tribeca
| location_city = Manhattan, New York City
| location_country = United States
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| opened_date = 1903
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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 famous for its appearance in the supernatural comedy franchise Ghostbusters.
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 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.{{cite news|last1=Grundhauser|first1=Eric|title=The Tribeca Fire Station That Got a Starring Role in Ghostbusters|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-tribeca-fire-station-that-got-a-starring-role-in-ghostbusters|access-date=13 December 2015|work=Atlas Obscura|date=9 December 2015}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2018/03/tales-tribeca-hidden-history-manhattans-old-market-neighborhood.html|title = Tales from Tribeca: The Hidden History of Manhattan's Old Market Neighborhood|date = 16 March 2018|website=The Bowery Boys}}
The firefighters of Hook & Ladder No. 8 were among the first responders to the September 11, 2001, attacks.{{cite news|title=New York: The Ghostbusters firehouse|url=http://www.avclub.com/video/new-york-the-ighostbustersi-firehouse-57353|access-date=13 December 2015|work=The A.V. Club|date=20 July 2011|archive-date=24 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124040411/http://www.avclub.com/video/new-york-the-ighostbustersi-firehouse-57353|url-status=dead}} In 2011, the firehouse was threatened with closure after the city administration planned to close 20 fire companies to save money.{{cite news|last1=Cangeloso|first1=Sal|title=Ghostbusters firehouse could be closed by NYC budget cuts|url=http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/ghostbusters-firehouse-1381495/|access-date=13 December 2015|work=Geek.com|date=20 May 2011|archive-date=5 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205012824/http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/ghostbusters-firehouse-1381495/|url-status=dead}} But after a public campaign to save it, supported by the later Mayor Bill de Blasio and actor Steve Buscemi, who also was a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984,{{cite news|last1=Shapiro|first1=Julie|title=Residents Rally to Save the 'Ghostbusters' Firehouse|url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110624/downtown/residents-rally-save-ghostbusters-firehouse|access-date=13 December 2015|work=DNA Info|date=24 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222085525/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110624/downtown/residents-rally-save-ghostbusters-firehouse|archive-date=22 December 2015}} the firehouse remains in service. From 2016 to 2018, it was subject to a renovation costing $6 million.{{cite news|last1=Puglise|first1=Nicole|title=Original Ghostbusters firehouse gets a new feature: a women's bathroom|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/13/ghostbusters-firehouse-new-york-renovation-women-bathroom|access-date=13 July 2016|work=the Guardian|date=13 July 2016}}
Filming location
The firehouse was selected as the base of the Ghostbusters for the 1984 film after an early draft of the script envisioned the Ghostbusters as a public service much like the fire department. Reportedly, the firehouse was chosen because the writer and actor 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. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife it is briefly mentioned that the firehouse has become a Starbucks, but Winston Zeddemore eventually buys the location from the company and has the team's Ectomobile restored and delivered there. Their old ghost containment system is still in the basement.
The firehouse has also appeared in the 2005 film Hitch and in episodes of the television series Seinfeld and How I Met Your Mother.
In 2021, The Buffalo Ghostbusters asked fans from all around the world to raise money for a new full-size replica Ghostbusters sign, which it later donated to the firehouse.{{cite web | title=Ghostbusters of Buffalo dedicate new sign to Hook & Ladder Company 8 | website=Tribeca Citizen | date=June 16, 2021 | url=https://tribecacitizen.com/2021/06/16/ghostbusters-of-buffalo-dedicate-new-sign-to-hook-ladder-company-8/ | access-date=November 27, 2023}} The sign now prominently hangs outside year-round, above the main entrance, and is visited often by fans. This has led to an annual fundraiser, with a celebration at the firehouse planned each year on the closest Saturday to June 8th to coincide with "Ghostbusters Day."{{cite press release |date=November 18, 2021 |title=Signarama Helps Fan Group Recreate Iconic Ghostbuster Sign |url=https://signarama.com/blog/article/signarama-helps-fan-group-recreate-iconic-ghostbuster-sign |publisher=Signarama}} "Ghostbusters Day 2024" fell on Saturday June 8th and attracted upwards of 500 plus fans and passersby to Ladder 8 in celebration of Ghostbusters 40th anniversary.
Gallery
File:Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8.jpg|High angle photo of Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 with visible Ghostbusters logo.
File:New York Fire Truck HDR.jpg|The building's main gate, with a ladder truck inside.
File:Ghostbusters Firehouse 2 (2007).jpg|The Ghostbusters logo from the second film hanging on the wall.
File:Harold Ramis memorial.jpg|A memorial to the Ghostbusters actor Harold Ramis at the firehouse.
File:Donated Sign.jpg|The Ghostbusters sign, donated through a fan fundraiser. Photo taken June 2022.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{commonscat-inline|Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8}}
{{New York City Fire Department}}
{{Ghostbusters}}
{{Tribeca, Manhattan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firehouse, Hook and Ladder Company 8}}
Category:1903 establishments in New York City
Category:1900s architecture in the United States
Category:Fire stations completed in 1903