| Long before
the advent of the modern methods of fighting fires, it was
common to build tall bell towers for the purpose of spotting
fires and summoning volunteer firefighters. Men employed as
bell ringers would spend long shifts on the lookout, with
minimum protection from the elements provided by the enclosure
at the top. If a fire was sited, they would send out an alarm
by ringing the bell. Someone from the fire station would run
to the tower to receive the location of the fire, and the
horse-drawn fire wagon would rush to the scene. Bucket brigades
would form at the fire and attempt to douse the blaze.
The City of New York sponsored a competition
early in 1855 to erect a fire bell tower in Mount Morris
Square. Although virtually unknown, a design by engineer
Julius Kroehl won out over the more famous James Bogardus.
To this day, Bogardus is widely known for his pioneering
designs in cast-iron construction, many of which still survive
in New York's SoHo district.
Kroehl's tower rises 47 feet, given
extra viewing advantage by the higher elevation of the site.
In 1851, a telegraph alarm system was established but the
bell was still rung to call out the local firemen, a
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volunteer force until 1868. As the
City's real estate developed, building heights increased
and the view from the fire towers became increasingly obscured.
In the 1870's, the street alarm box system was expanded.
By 1880, all fire watchmen were discharged and the towers
demolished as the properties on which they sat were developed.
The last of these civic monuments remaining in the five
boroughs, the Mount Morris bell tower is also the oldest
cast-iron structure in New York City and is a source of
pride for the neighborhood. It's existence was saved from
developers largely because it was not in the way of development
but also due to the massive rock outcropping on which it
rests. The rock would be expensive and difficult to remove,
even with today's technology. It was designated a landmark
in 1976 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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