• Home
• Exhibitions
• Featured and Recent Exhibitions
• 25th Anniversary

The FDNY’s original museum opened as the Fire College Museum in Long Island City in 1934. Firefighter Walter Beatty was a strong supporter of the Museum and encouraged gifts of private collections. Programming at the Fire College grew and more space was needed so, in 1959, the collection was moved to the spare bay of Ladder 1/Engine 7's house at 100 Duane Street. The Museum remained there until the Home Insurance Company presented its own extensive collection of fire memorabilia to the city in 1981. Combining the collection at Duane Street with the Home Insurance collection required moving to a larger space. The former quarters of Engine Company No. 30 were renovated and, in 1987, the New York City Fire Museum opened its doors to the public.

---

Our Permanent Exhibitions

One of the most interesting stories, not told elsewhere in the City, is that of the early days of fire fighting in New York. The museum is privileged to house much of the City's collection of historic firefighting artifacts, memorabilia and equipment dating from as early as the 1650s. Together our collection of documents, firefighting apparatus, fire marks, buckets, trumpets, helmets, rattles, lanterns, uniforms and other artifacts tell a powerful story of early New York, the challenges faced by our ancestors and their ingenuity and skill in preventing and controlling fires in a setting and conditions difficult to imagine today.

• Our Museum

  Find out more about the NYCFM's collection. Go to FAQs

• Image Licensing

  Want to use images for your project? Contact us

• Join Our Mailing List

  and keep up to date with NYCFM's latest happenings. Sign up

• More About the NYCFM

  Questions about our services? Contact us

• Support the NYCFM!

  Support the NYCFM! Donate or become a member! Help us today