The Tribeca firehouse in New York City, made famous by the movie Ghostbusters – which starred Kingston area resident, Dan Aykroyd – could well be in its final hours due to budget constraints. The 1984 film brought fame to the station, which is also known as “Hook and Ladder 8”, but now it is one of 20 buildings threatened to be closed.
New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, confirmed he has indeed been forced to make the unpopular decision to close this movie landmark. However firefighters are against the move and the Fire Safety chairperson has also warned “If the city goes ahead with these closures, people who could have been saved will die”.
Many other local politicians are also outraged, including city councilor Margaret Chin who declared “The fact you even think about closing these fire stations in the lower Manhattan, the No. 1 target for terrorists in our country, is unacceptable.”
Ghostbusters, a science fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, followed the adventures of a group of New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost capturers. And this newest development ironically echos the plot of the movie, where the heroes took over the firehouse to use as a headquarters after its closure by the city.
Council members have vowed to do everything possible to rescue these institutions, but it is a daunting task. Mayor Michael Bloomberg budgeted about $300 million for city services, and these 20 firehouses alone account for approximately $55 million.
Further hearings are scheduled to discuss these closures, and there is apparently still hope for some of these stations to be saved, including the one that housed the famous ghost hunters from the 1980s.
UPDATE: It looks like the City of New York saved the Firehouse! Beginning summer of 2016, the building underwent a $6 million renovation to continue as a NYFD station.
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