Fire alarm boxes of various shapes and sizes remain familiar sights on NYC streets. In general you can find a fire alarm on every other corner as you walk NYC neighborhoods that employ a grid street layout system, and with other street layout designs you also find them scattered at intervals. The designs have changed quite a bit over the years; the freestanding design with the torch at the apex that looks like an ice cream cone was first introduced in 1912 and has undergone a number of permutations. When a fire box is attached to a telephone pole, they are generally rectangular-shaped with the exception of a hooded top. However, today I’m showing a rarity at 48th Avenue and 67th Street I sought out on a recent walk in Woodside—I sought it out to make sure it’s still there.
The first telegraph fire alarm system was developed by William Francis Channing and Moses G. Farmer in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852. Two years later they applied for a patent for their “Electromagnetic Fire Alarm Telegraph for Cities”. In 1855 John Gamewell of South Carolina purchased regional rights to market the fire alarm telegraph, later obtaining the patents and full rights to the system in 1859. wikipedia
So here’s a rare Gamewell fire alarm. Gamewell was acquired by Honeywell Security and Fire, who, I imagine, continues to maintain the Gamewell equipment. The city has updated this one with pushbuttons to call the NYPD and FDNY (remember the commercials with Walt Frazier when these were new?)
There are a number of decommissioned Gamewells around town, but the only working model I know of (which also has the pushbuttons) is located in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan. If anyone knows of any other Gamewell fire alarms, let me know in Comments.
As noted below there is one at 48th Avenue and 197th Street in Auburndale, though the front is invisible in Street View.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”
8/4/20