Repost: When we almost lost St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery to a fire

The following post first appeared here on July 27, 2012…

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[Photo via]

On July 27, 1978, a fire nearly destroyed the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, long a focal point of the community. At the time of the blaze, workers were nearly done with a $500,000 restoration of the historic church on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

According to an account by Tom Sotor in the East Side Express:

The fire began when a workman's welding instrument ignited a section of the timber cornice, and from there the blaze spread rapidly. "Smoke was pouring out of the hell tower when we arrived," recalls one of the first firefighters on the scene. "I said to myself, 'This ceiling's going to go.' And sure as hell, there was a partial collapse." The rear section of the 50-foot high peaked roof collapsed a half-hour after the fire began.

The 75 firefighters involved with the three-alarm blaze Were faced with many other problems as well. A six-foot iron fence that surrounded the church and a graveyard on one side prevented the companies from utilizing anything but portable equipment. Consequently, a tower ladder had to be employed to spray the front and rear, while the sides of the church remained practically unassailable.

There was also danger of the 150-foot steeple collapsing. "We kept an eye on the steeple'supports," explains John J. Moffatt, the commander in charge of the fire. "If it fell, we would have had a lot of injuries."

There weren't any reported injuries... though the fire caused major damage to the church, including the loss of the roof and nine of the 23 stained-glass windows.

[Via East Side Express]

The Citizens to Save St Mark's was founded to raise funds for its reconstruction ... supervised by architect Harold Edelman. The restoration was completed in 1986, with new stained-glass windows designed by Edelman, who personally supervised the entire project, according to his obit in the Times from 1999.

And a little snippet of the history via the Church website:

The St. Mark’s Church and its yards are just a few reminders of the once vast “bouwerie,” or Dutch plantation, which Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam purchased in 1651 from the Dutch West India Company. When Stuyvesant died in 1672, his body was interred in a vault under the family chapel he’d had built in 1660. In 1793, Stuyvesant’s great-grandson, Petrus Stuyvesant, donated the chapel property to the Episcopal Church with the stipulation that a new chapel be erected and on April 25, 1795, the cornerstone of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery was laid.

Report: Fire on E. 2nd St. sends 4 residents to hospital

An early-morning fire on East Second Street near Avenue C left five residents with minor injuries, according to DNAinfo.

The fire started shortly before 4 a.m. on the top floor of 280 E. Second Street, per the FDNY. (DNAinfo lists the address at 264 E. Second St.) The FDNY had the blaze under control within 40 minutes.

MAN ALL HANDS 280 EAST 2ND STREET, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON ROOF,
— FDNY (@FDNY) October 3, 2013

MAN ALL HANDS 280 EAST 2ND STREET, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON TOP FLR, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNY (@FDNY) October 3, 2013

DNAinfo reports that four people went to local hospitals with minor injuries. A fifth person apparently "refused medical attention at the scene."

The FDNY is investigating the cause of the fire.

Anyone with more information?

[Updated] 2 reports of fires today

• 219 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street. A fire broke out in the rear of the storefront this afternoon here that houses Revision Lounge. (Thanks to EVG reader @MerMerJ for the photos!)



According to Patch, about 12 units and more than 60 firefighters responded to the scene, where they had it under control in 45 minutes. One firefighter reportedly suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Updated:

It's bad. The patio is destroyed and the back of the lounge has major damage. No one in building was hurt. Smoke is dissipating. Power is back on.

— Revision Lounge (@Revisionlounge) March 19, 2019

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• 340 E. 13th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. There were reports of a fire in an fifth-floor apartment here tonight on this block...

MAN ALL HANDS 340 E 13 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 5TH FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 18, 2019

MAN ALL HANDS 340 E 13 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 5TH FLR, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 19, 2019

Not much information at the moment about the fire ... here are some reader photos...


[Peter M./East Village]


[Peter M./East Village]

Updated:

EVG reader Jen Pace shared this footage...

When we almost lost St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery to a fire

[Photo via]

On July 27, 1978, a fire nearly destroyed the St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, long a focal point of the community. At the time of the blaze, workers were nearly done with a $500,000 restoration of the historic church on Second Avenue and East 10th Street.

According to an account by Tom Sotor in the East Side Express:

The fire began when a workman's welding instrument ignited a section of the timber cornice, and from there the blaze spread rapidly. "Smoke was pouring out of the hell tower when we arrived," recalls one of the first firefighters on the scene. "I said to myself, 'This ceiling's going to go.' And sure as hell, there was a partial collapse." The rear section of the 50-foot high peaked roof collapsed a half-hour after the fire began.

The 75 firefighters involved with the three-alarm blaze Were faced with many other problems as well. A six-foot iron fence that surrounded the church and a graveyard on one side prevented the companies from utilizing anything but portable equipment. Consequently, a tower ladder had to be employed to spray the front and rear, while the sides of the church remained practically unassailable.

There was also danger of the 150-foot steeple collapsing. "We kept an eye on the steeple'supports," explains John J. Moffatt, the commander in charge of the fire. "If it fell, we would have had a lot of injuries."

There weren't any reported injuries... though the fire caused major damage to the church, including the loss of the roof and nine of the 23 stained-glass windows.

[Via East Side Express]

The Citizens to Save St Mark's was founded to raise funds for its reconstruction ... supervised by architect Harold Edelman. The restoration was completed in 1986, with new stained-glass windows designed by Edelman, who personally supervised the entire project, according to his obit in the Times from 1999.

And a little snippet of the history via the Church website:

The St. Mark’s Church and its yards are just a few reminders of the once vast “bouwerie,” or Dutch plantation, which Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam purchased in 1651 from the Dutch West India Company. When Stuyvesant died in 1672, his body was interred in a vault under the family chapel he’d had built in 1660. In 1793, Stuyvesant’s great-grandson, Petrus Stuyvesant, donated the chapel property to the Episcopal Church with the stipulation that a new chapel be erected and on April 25, 1795, the cornerstone of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery was laid.

[Updated] Report of a fire at 410 E. 6th St.

The FDNY is out in full force in response to a fire at 610 E. Sixth St. at First Avenue in the Village View complex… the fire is reportedly in a 6th-floor apartment...

MAN ALL HANDS 410 EAST 6TH ST, FIRE ON 6TH FL,

— FDNY (@FDNY) July 19, 2015

… and via a reader…



Updated 1:51 p.m.

MAN ALL HANDS 410 EAST 6TH ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 6TH FL, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNY (@FDNY) July 19, 2015

Updated 2:08 p.m.

We are unaware of any reports of injuries. @GregJKrieg was on the scene and posted photos of firefighters caring for a female pit bull from the building. (Not sure if the dog was in the apartment with the fire.) The dog was limp (but breathing) when firefighters removed her from the building…





After giving her water and oxygen … and applying ice packs…

She's licking at firefighters now and moving around a bunch. pic.twitter.com/s24Ojtgzb6

— Greg Krieg (@GregJKrieg) July 19, 2015

Possible delay in emergency responses today

We'll periodically have information on local fire companies that service, in part, the East Village ... including when they are closed for periods of time...

The following companies located in the East Village OR that respond to emergencies in the East Village will be on Building Inspection at the following times today (and every Tuesday):

E-5, E-15, E-28 — 10 AM-1 PM.
L-9, E-55, E-9 — 1 PM-4 PM.

Also:

Ladder 20, located in on Lafayette Street, but responds to emergencies in parts of the East Village, will be CLOSED today from 12:30 PM-4:30 PM due to training at the Fire Academy on Randall's Island.

And did you know that two fire companies charged with protecting the East Village were CLOSED for periods of time yesterday?

Engine 9, which is located in Chinatown (Canal Street between Allen Street and Eldridge Street), but responds into the East Village, was CLOSED yesterday from 9 AM until 4 PM for New Apparatus Familiarization Drill at the Fire Academy.

Engine 33, located in the East Village (Great Jones Street), was CLOSED yesterday from 7 PM - 10 PM for Basic Competency Critique at the Fire Academy.

E-28 was CLOSED yesterday as well from 10:45 AM - 3:40PM to pick-up and restock new rig. During this time they were not able to respond to a fire at 535 E. 14th Street, at which they are 2nd Due.

Assessing the fire damage at Essex Card Shop

Photos by Stacie Joy

A fire destroyed the Essex Card Shop at 47 Avenue A late Monday afternoon. Thankfully there weren't any injuries.

And we're starting to get an idea how badly the fire damaged the storefront here between Third Street and Fourth Street.

FDNY officials returned to inspect the space yesterday. EVG contributor Stacie Joy was also there...

Owner Muhammad Aslam and his oldest daughter Mehnaz Noreen, the shop's retail sales manager, were on hand.

The two are awaiting the fire marshal's report to submit to the insurance company to begin the process of reopening. (Longtime manager Jayant "Jay" Patel previously said that he smelled smoke coming from the bathroom in the rear of the store and immediately called the FDNY.) 

The father and daughter wished to express their gratitude for the outpouring of support from the community. (The GoFundMe launched Monday night has exceeded $50,000 to help the family pay for additional expenses and lost income.)

They were particularly heartened by the handmade signs that students from room 205 at the Neighborhood School left for them on the storefront's rolldown gate...

Aslam then inspected the remains of the shop, which opened here in June 2020 after more than 20 years at 39 Avenue A.

A few items, such as a ledger, somehow survived the fire...

And in case you were wondering about the ATM here... a technician arrived to remove the cash...

While Stacie was there, multiple residents stopped by to wish Aslam and his family well ... including the owners of the adjacent businesses, Leti Ruiz of Downtown Yarns and Charles Branstool of Exit9...

We'll keep you posted as Essex Card Shop starts the challenging reopening process. You'll likely see Aslam around. He told Stacie that he "doesn't wish to stay at home."

For further reading on EVG: 

 • Exit9 reopens on Avenue A after fire next door 

• Downtown Yarns hopes to reopen in a week

Report of a fatal fire on 5th Street

Updated 3/7: the fire was at 335 E, Fifth St. The resident was identified as Wendy Schonfeld. Read about her here. 

An early-morning fire on Fifth Street reportedly killed an 80-year-old resident in the building. 

According to @FDNYalerts, the fire broke out on the fourth floor of 335 E. Fifth St., a five-story building between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The report came in at 12:55 a.m., according to @FDNYalerts ... and was deemed under control by 1:24 a.m.

Manhattan All Hands Box 0430, 337 E 5 ST, Multiple Dwelling 'A' Fire, 4TH FLR, Under Control

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) March 5, 2021

At 3:36 a.m., the Citizen app reported the following: "An official update from the FDNY has confirmed that an 80-year-old woman found inside the apartment was declared deceased after EMS transported her to a local hospital."

Three other injuries were reported.

No other information is available at the moment regarding the conditions of the victims or the cause of the fire.

Updated 5 p.m. 

Steven shared this photo... as you can see windows on the fourth and fifth floors have been board up...

Top photo via Citizen  

Fire reported at incoming Pride and Joy BBQ on East Second Street

[This morning around 7]

There were reports of an early-morning fire on East Second Street... from the official FDNY Twitter feed...

MAN ALL HANDS 99 E 2 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON ROOF, UNDER CONTROL
— FDNY (@FDNY) May 8, 2013

The address is part of the incoming Pride and Joy BBQ, where workers continue to renovate the space. The fire apparently started in the East Second Street side part of the complex (most recently home to Bento Burger) where Pride and Joy will operate a take-out/lunchtime cafe during the day and bar at night.

Hayne Suthon, who owns the building, is out of town at the moment. A neighbor told her that she spotted "flames on the roof and tons of trucks. There were at least 15 firefighters on the roof at one point."

The FDNY quickly extinguished the blaze. No word at the moment on injuries or extent of the fire.

Suthon told us via Facebook: "I don't think there's a lot of damage."

Updated 7:20 a.m.

This blurry photo represents the only sign of a fire from the outside ...

Reader report: Apartment fire at 182 Avenue B

The FDNY responded to a late-night (after 2 a.m.) fire at 182 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street. 

EVG reader Joe shared these photos from this morning, showing soot and broken glass on the sidewalk... and a burned-up office chair on the fire escape outside the third-floor apartment where the fire started...

Officials at the scene blamed a lithium battery from an e-bike. (And per the Citizen app: "Firefighters advise that a lithium battery was involved in the fire.") 

There weren't reports of any injuries... and no word on the extent — if any — of damage to the ground-floor tenant, Haile Bistro. 

CBS 2 reported last month that "lithium-ion battery fires are prompting more and more apartment buildings to pull the plug on e-bikes." 

As NY1 reported yesterday: "The FDNY says 66 fires have been started by lithium-ion batteries, killing five people. Last year, the city saw 216 fires and six deaths related to the batteries." 

This past week, two people died after a fire on West 190th Street sparked by a lithium battery.

A basement fire and a lot of firefighters last night on St. Mark's Place

Last night just after 7, the FDNY showed up full force on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue …

MAN ALL HANDS 115 ST MARKS PL, COMMERCIAL FIRE IN BASEMENT, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNY (@FDNY) October 25, 2014

Greg Nardello, who runs Augers Well at 115 St. Mark's Place, believes that the fire was in the basement next door at No. 117.


[Photo by Greg Nardello]

The FDNY quickly contained the basement fire. Smoke from the blaze momentarily filled Box Kite Coffee at No. 115 with smoke.

"My basement was also completely covered in smoke. Not too much to report except for some minor damages from the fire crews to a few businesses on the block," Nardello told us.

Box Kite was open per usual today. No word on the cause of the basement fire.

[Updated] FDNY battles three-alarm fire at 21 E. Second St.

[Maria Andrea via Twitter]

A three-alarm fire involving 140 firefighters reportedly broke out late last night at 21 E. Second St., a six-floor apartment building between the Bowery and Second Avenue. NYU students living in the adjacent Second Street Residence were evacuated as a precaution, @nyunews reported.

[Jason Lester via Flickr]

Earlier accounts via Twitter reported that the fire occurred in the dorm.

According to Washington Square News, the fire broke out just after 11 p.m. Two firefighters reportedly suffered minor injuries while three civilians were treated at the scene. The FDNY had extinguished the fire by 1:30 a.m.

FDNY officials told Washington Square News that the flames spread from the second floor through an air shaft to the fourth floor of 21 E. Second St.

Per the Post: "The three-alarm inferno ran mostly through one shaft in the building and was difficult to put out because several of the apartments were heavily cluttered, the FDNY said."

[Anna Frenkel via Twitter]

BoweryBoogie has more here. The Lo-Down has photos and coverage here. Find some photos via Jason Lester here.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. NY1 reports that the Red Cross is offering temporary housing to 30 adults and four children.

Revisiting Fetus Squat on East 9th Street in the early 1990s

Katie Jones lived in Fetus Squat on East Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D for several years in the early 1990s. She recently shared several photos with me. Jones, who now lives in Oregon, left the neighborhood in 1996.

"I think that putting these photos out there after all this time has actually released me in some ways. With technology the way it is today, I was able to post many squatter photos from the early 1990s on Facebook. In doing that I have been back in touch with many people from this time. That part has been awesome," she wrote in an email.

"I wanted to be able to give them their history back and letting go of these pictures people are reminded of what we fought for. They are reminded of their part in the struggle to maintain those squats. I am nostalgic about the past in some respects. I miss the community we had back then. I miss the sense of ultimate trust I had in my activist friends. I also see too many faces in those photos that have died — that part is hard."

She return to the city several weeks ago for a long weekend.

"I had not been to NYC since 1997, so it was the first time I had seen the full effect of the gentrification on the LES. Shocking and sad," she said. "I had been warned by friends who still live in the area, but it really was a mindfuck."

Here are several of the photos with a brief description from Katie. (And a special thanks to MoRUS for putting me in contact with Katie.)

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Fetus Squat 1992
My home for most of 1992 until a fire destroyed the entire building. This shot was taken on 9th Street toward Avenue C. To the left of Fetus is a giant garden that had been reclaimed from one of the numerous vacant lots that were so prevalent in the LES during this time.

I loved living at Fetus Squat. I really found my niche in this building. I learned how to do masonry, put up insulation and sheetrock, gather food from dumpsters and restaurants, and make window frames out of police barricades. (Actually, we used those police barricades for everything from stairs to lofts.)

It really was my first communal experience. I think there were about 30 of us living at Fetus by the time I got there. I had moved to NYC from Miami. The scene was young and punk rock with a lot of political ideologies. More than any other squat, Fetus was where I felt at home. I am still in touch with so many of my friends from this building 20 years later.

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Amy and Soy During Fire at Fetus Squat
This shot was taken during the fire that engulfed Fetus Squat in October of 1992. Everyone got out. The fire department showed up, but only put water on the adjacent building. One of the firemen turned to me and said “Is this your house?” to which I said in a confused, numb way “Yes…” He replied “Not anymore! Hahaha!”

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Fetus Rubble
This photo is of Fetus Squat after the wrecking crew came and demolished all remains of our home. It seemed like days that we all gathered there to sort through the rubble trying to retrieve something from out shattered lives. Scott looks on as Frankie crosses the street with some of his unburied belongings.

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Fetus Rubble Black Flag
This was such an impossibly surreal time for all of us. We were homeless and digging through the remains of our old Squat on 9th and C. You can see the old doorway still intact with the Anarchist Black Flag next to it. We spent days sifting through the rubble looking for belongings.

Shortly after this I decided to travel. Some friends had found a ride down to New Orleans. The guy who was driving put in a mixed cassette tape and I recognized it as one of mine! It kind of freaked me out and I asked him where he got it. He said he found it at the Fetus lot. I never knew this guy before the road trip and here he was with one of my mixed tapes scavenged from the fire. He told me I could have it back, but I was homeless and traveling so I told him to keep it. We all lost everything we had in that fire.

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Lot Between Serenity and Dos Blocos
This shot was taken from the Serenity Squat Roof around 1993. This Lot was on 9th street between C and D. People were living in the van and maybe some of the other vehicles in the lot. A garden and chickens were in the lot next to all the vehicles.

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Lot Between 8th Street and 9th Street
This lot was massive! It was between 8th and 9th streets and Avenues C to D. It was a combination dumping yard and shanty town. The little shacks were made out of items collected in the lot. People were growing small vegetable gardens and I even saw a chicken or two.

I took this shot from the 5th floor of Serenity Squat. This would have been around 1994. On this day the lot clean up by the city began. All of the people that lived in the tents and shanties were evicted. The city came through with bulldozers and just crushed everything in the way. It was very chaotic as people ran around trying to grab pets and possessions.

Construction for new housing began. This construction lasted the whole spring and summer of 1994. At one point a pile driver took up residence and banged four-story metal rods into the ground. Serenity Squat would shake from the impact! We monkey wrenched it a few times just to get some peace and quiet.