Painful Side Effect of 4th Ave. Firehouse Reno

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A reader sent in these photos of the Richardsonian Romanesque firehouse&#8212Engine Company 239&#8212on 4th Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets. Still in use, it’s been getting an upgrade over the last year, but the improvements also yielded some losses. More from our tipster:

Considering that it was too small, and the floors were caving-in from the weight of the trucks, I would be the first to congratulate the city’s decision to gut-renovate rather than demolish the structure. A huge, new glass-wall extension at the rear looks spectacular, without detracting from the historic facade in front. The facade, after all, was what made the building worth preserving. So, now the city has turned it’s attention to the front, and what’s the first to go? The magnificent triple-column piers that supported the limestone lintel. As they were removed on Thursday, even the construction workers taking them down were lamenting that the city didn’t have the foresight to reuse these anywhere; not even in the firehouse itself. They were being so careful removing the sections, but they were unsure of what would, or could, happen to any of it, even the capitals . Tons of carved limestone went into the dumpster, for lack of a better plan. Although ‘dumpster-diving’ has been a popular past-time for Park Slope renovators for 2 generations, who was going to pull-out a 1500 lb. block?

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Anybody been on a rescue mission there?