Firehouse, Engine Company 33
Why it's listed
Engine Company 33 occupies a four-story brick fire house at 44 Great Jones Street in Manhattan, completed in 1898. Ernest Flagg designed it with his junior partner Walter B. Chambers, both trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Flagg is also known for the Singer Building and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. The facade is organized around a monumental stone-trimmed arch that rises three floors above a rusticated stone base with two large vehicle doorways. Brick laid in English bond forms the main wall surface. A carved cartouche marks the keystone, decorative metalwork fills the second-floor windows, and a pediment defines the third-floor window group. A deep metal cornice on paired brackets carries a cresting of anthemia and fleur-de-lis. The building was listed as one of the few surviving Flagg works and as a reminder of Manhattan firefighting, which began under Dutch rule in 1648 and became a paid service in 1865. It remains a working fire house in excellent, unaltered condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally important as one of the few surviving buildings by Ernest Flagg, designed with his junior partner Walter B. Chambers. Its monumental arched facade and decorative detail are cited as distinguishing features. It also represents the long tradition of organized firefighting in Manhattan.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000871, listed March 16, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 44 Great Jones St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | March 16, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000871 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1898 |
| Architect / builder | Ernest Flagg, in collaboration with Walter B. Chambers |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition, unaltered, on its original site; in use as a fire house and owned by the Fire Department of the City of New York. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.72703, -73.99260 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000871.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5451866
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.