A protester stands outside of his tent in front of Fire Engine 212 in Brooklyn, NY on August 21, 2003.

Mayor Bloomberg's administration identified this firehouse, and seven others in NYC, as underused and ordered their closing to save the city up to 11 million dollars. To protest its mandated closing, a group of residents turned into dissidents and maintained a 24 hour camp in front of the firehouse to prevent it from being shut down.

This was not the first time...
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A protester stands outside of his tent in front of Fire Engine 212 in Brooklyn, NY on August 21, 2003.

Mayor Bloomberg's administration identified this firehouse, and seven others in NYC, as underused and ordered their closing to save the city up to 11 million dollars. To protest its mandated closing, a group of residents turned into dissidents and maintained a 24 hour camp in front of the firehouse to prevent it from being shut down.

This was not the first time that the potential closing of Fire Engine 212 history has been met with resistance: in 1975 then Mayor Beame, also with budgetary woes, also attempted to close Engine 212. Nearby residents immediately took up the cause and camped out inside the firehouse, some staying as long as 16 months until the mayor finally relented in 1977. Many of these same residents took up the cause again in 2003.

In spite of their efforts, two weeks after this photo was taken police stormed the firehouse, arrested several protesters, and finally closed it down. In the months after the closing of Engine 212 and six other firehouses, concerned residents pointed to a new report put out by NYFD that fire response times were down 11 seconds citywide as proof that their firehouses were in fact needed.

Armed with this information, several organizations formed with the intent to reopen the firehouse and fought for several years but to no avail. In 2008, two neighborhood organizations, NAG (Neighbors Allied for Good Growth) and PFI (People's Firehouse Inc) were awarded the rights by the city to develop the building into a community and cultural center.

Founded in 1869, Fire Engine 212 was one of the oldest firehouses in the city.
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