GVSHP secures National Register nod for South Village firehouse
 GVSHP has long sought to preserve the former Fire Patrol #2 House at 84 West 3rd Street. The effort to do so got a boost this week when the NYS Historic Preservation Office, in response to an application from GVSHP, ruled that the building qualified for listing on the State and National Register of Historic Places, based upon its architecture and its history (CLICK HERE). While State and National Register listing does not prevent demolition of historic buildings, it does offer tax breaks and other financial incentives for preservation of historic structures, and as in the recent case of Westbeth, it can provide impetus for the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to move ahead with landmark designation, which does prevent demolition.
The 1906 former Fire Patrol House #2 is one of the few surviving remnants of a 200 year old private fire service which predates the establishment of municipal fire departments and whose origins are believed to trace back to Benjamin Franklin. In 2006 the NY Board of Fire Underwriters announced plans to close and sell the last remaining fire patrol houses, including #2 at 84 West 3rd Street. GVSHP urged the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to landmark the building to ensure its preservation, though the LPC at the time refused. The building has since been sold and is being renovated for residential use, and GVSHP has been told that the new owner intends to preserve and restore the facade of the building. In addition to seeking individual landmark status for the building, the site lies within GVSHP’s proposed South Village Historic District, part of which the LPC has begun to consider.
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