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Five years after shuttering two Brooklyn firehouses amid much community protest, the city selected the new groups to develop them for new uses. The lucky winner of the least at Engine 204 at 299 Degraw Street in Cobble Hill is the Brooklyn Philharmonic, which hasn’t had a permanent home since parting ways with BAM a decade ago. Engine 212 at 134 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg will become a community center to be run, ironically, by the same group that was most vocal in protesting its closure, People’s Firehouse. Firefighter groups were uniformly negative about the news. Good economic development should always be accompanied by development that makes communities more attractive places to live and work, said Seth W. Pinsky, president of the NYC Economic Development Corp. The projects will also provide growth opportunities for three important not-for-profit community cultural organizations. You happy with the news?
Developers Picked for 2 Closed Brooklyn Firehouses [NY Times]
City to Sell Firehouses in W’burg and Cobble Hill [NY Times]
Cobble Hill Still Fired Up Over Engine 204 [Brownstoner]
Rally Today to Save Cobble Hill’s Engine 204 [Brownstoner]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. SAVE LONG ISLAND COLLEGE HOSPITAL

    Press conference on Monday, June 9, 2008

    11 a.m.

    Hicks and Pacific Streets

    As a result of gross financial negligence, possible unlawful practices, and the siphoning of LICH money this vital institution is in a condition of near insolvency. It’s closure would have a major adverse ipact on the community.

  2. It’s not a free building, they still need to come up with a million or so. And they can use that space to get the community involved in all kinds of (necessary) fights, including getting better police and fire service.

  3. why aren’t they still protesting about the closures? giving them the building shut them up? was that their ultimate goal? if they were sincere about what they wanted they should continue demanding it, free building or not.