The Newtown Pentacle

As it turns out, one of the interesting places in LIC that I was preparing a post about has experienced one of those massive conflagrations that seem to have afflicted relict properties all around the Newtown Creek for much of its history. I just uploaded, literally last night, a bunch of photos of 50-09 27th street- which burned down while the photos were in transit. The news reports are listing it as 50-10 27th street, but the address on its door is 50-09 .

I’ve mentioned this place before. 

in a post on Dutch Kills

A fantastic series of abandoned industrial buildings are on the left. Photograph quickly, Newtownicans,these are being torn to shreds by those dastardly developers right now.

And, its at the eastern end of the “Empty Corridor“

– photo by Mitch Waxman

– photo by Mitch Waxman

– photo by Mitch Waxman

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Via Queenscrap

From Fox 5:

A massive fire is burning in a two-story warehouse in Long Island City, Queens.

The flames broke out at around 6 a.m. at 50-10 27th Street and 50th Avenue.

Giant plumes of smoke from the blaze are covering the western side of the Long Island Expressway just before the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

Expect delays of at least 25 minutes on the Expressway.

NY Traffic Authority Ines Rosales recommends drivers in the area take he 59th Street Bridge or get off on the Queens Boulevard and take the Queens Borough Bridge.

There are no reports of injuries.

and from ny1.com

A three-alarm fire in Long Island City was brought under control just after 9 this morning, but not until after it caused major congestion on the Long Island Expressway.

The fire broke out just before 6 o’clock inside an empty warehouse at 50th Avenue and 27th Street, just below the LIE.

The smoke reduced visibility on the roadway and briefly forced its closure.

Fire officials say the heat from the fire was intense, forcing firefighters to fight the flames from the outside of the building.

“We originally sent people in, but it was deemed unsafe, too much fire and a whole building that had been vacant,” said FDNY Deputy Chief Bob Maynes. “So we were worried about the safety of our firefighters.”

About 150 firefighters were needed to bring the fire under control.

The flames completely destroyed the facade of the building and took off most of the roof.

Three firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

Fire marshals have begun their investigation into the cause of the fire.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

and here it is in January of 2009

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Just a short one today. Still burnt out from the weekend’s tug boat races. Check out this video from tugster. I’ve got at least two major posts cooking right now.

Project Firebox, 3350 – photo by Mitch Waxman

I realize and fully aspire to understand the harried mind of the metropolitan vehicular operator, but often wonder, how does one manage to ignore a 2 meter tall shiny red box until its too late?

The devastation endured by these silent sentinels is but one of the striking dichotomies one encounters when walking the shadows of concrete shrouded and legend haunted Newtown. To the benefit of this heterogeneous collection of guardian devices, which can raise titan armies of Fire and Police Departments at the touch of a button, their abuse must be remarked upon. We, as a community, must find some way to train drivers to notice the near presence of – a 6 foot tall gleaming metallic object with reflective surfaces. Calculation of its relative proximity to their vehicles would surely follow suit.

This is Project Firebox.

Project Firebox, 8778 – photo by Mitch Waxman

This was on Hunters Point Avenue, opposite a mattress factory outlet store. This I understood. Simple kinetics, an impact, and subsidence. Fine.

from wikipedia

Alarm Boxes: The second most common method is by means of F.D.N.Y. alarm boxes in the street and in certain public buildings such as schools and hospitals as well as highways, bridges, etc. These consist of the following primarily two types. The first is mechanical boxes, also commonly called pull-boxes or telegraph boxes in which a spring-wound mechanism alternately opens and closes an electrical circuit thereby rendering a coded number linked to the specific location of the box. Until the advent of the STARFIRE Computer-Assisted Dispatch System (CAD), dispatchers had to physically count the taps from mechanical boxes when they were received in the central offices. Today, a “Box Alarm Readout System” (B.A.R.S.) display handles that aspect of the job. The second type is the “Emergency Reporting System” (E.R.S.) boxes that are equipped with buttons to notify either FDNY or NYPD, allowing either department’s dispatcher to have direct voice communication with a reporting party. E.R.S. boxes began to replace mechanical boxes in many areas of the City beginning in the 1970s.

Project Firebox, 6368 – photo by Mitch Waxman

Down near Newtown Creek, this abandoned car was resting on this firebox for nearly a year, but this is a deserted little cul de sac near a hundred year old train station and the site of a long vanished bridge.

A pretty nice history of FDNY alarm boxes at google books

Project Firebox, 4477 – photo by Mitch Waxman

Where Astoria ends, and Dutch Kills begins, near Northern Blvd. Notice that it’s bent OUT, against the traffic.