Archive for the ‘Project Firebox’ Category
Project Firebox 68
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– photo by Mitch Waxman
This king in crimson was observed on duty amongst the blessed slopes of almond eyed Astoria, where neither a hooka pipe nor a cup of strong black coffee are safe. At 38th street and 28th avenue is its perch, standing ever ready to summon teams of rescuers for the desperately endangered.
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13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, May 4, 2013
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Parks and Petroleum- Sunday, May 12, 2013
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The Insalubrious Valley- Saturday, May 25, 2013
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Project Firebox 66
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
“Bro, this thing has been on this corner since nobody knows how long, its furniture- y’know? This is, you know where, in Astoria on 38th and 31st, near the Souvlaki guy- the one with the smoke- in front of that Brazilian restaurant with the good coffee. C’mon Bro”.
Such local Astorian, or patois, would best delineate the position and surroundings of this exemplar of municipal service, the humble firebox, were it to be described by far more than one of my neighbors.
Project Firebox 65
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Always on the look out for friendly neighborhood Fireboxes which have eluded my notice, this sturdy specimen was encountered on Astoria Blvd. at 42nd street. Unfortunately malfunctioning, it bears familiar signage adjuring the reader to rely on telephone contact with the Fire Department instead of using the alarm system.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
“Engine 263 and Ladder 117’s station house happens to be on the block” thought a humble narrator. “Why would there actually be a firebox on the same corner as a fire house” entered my mind next, but then I remembered that this was, after all, Queens. Logic and Queens are often exclusive of each other.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
No sign of the crews inside, so one imagines that this sign, advising one to use the broken firebox on the corner would need updating. Shame, as it is lovely typography.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A seeming memorial, this firebox like device ornaments a prominent spot on the building’s facade. The “343” is a reference to the number of FDNY personnel who perished at the World Trade Center at the turn of the century.
Project Firebox 64
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sudden panic overcame me on Thursday last, when a yawning hole in my scheduled postings presented itself in a looming fashion- I had no fresh Firebox for Saturday!
In a huff, and something of a puff, your humble narrator meekly wandered around Astoria looking for some heretofore anonymous fire box with the goal of shooting its portrait. Luckily, on 38th and 28th, this scarlet century awaited me.
Project Firebox 63
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In a sun drunk section of Brooklyn called Greenpoint, there is a corner called Franklin and Green. On this corner is a firebox, which stands nearby the street plumbing that would allow a fire to be fought. This network of alarm boxes and pipes, ultimately, are the reason that structures over two or three stories could be built here in the first place. The density of residential life in Greenpoint was, and is, directly tied to the response of the local Fire brigades. Generally speaking, the older the firebox, the deeper the neighborhood’s roots go. This is a very old firebox.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the street facing side of the thing is the embossed legend of “H.P. TEL”. The inscription has been discussed here, at your Newtown Pentacle, before. Check out “Project Firebox 51” and or “Project Firebox 12” for more on the phenomena.
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