2. The Bronx & Brooklyn
The Bronx and Brooklyn Fire Alarm Telegraph Stations, which are virtually identical in appearance, are Italian Renaissance Revival style buildings featuring a triple-arch entry loggia and a red tile hip roof. They were designed by Frank J. Helmle, an architect responsible for many buildings in Brooklyn including the Prospect Park Boathouse.
The Bronx station is located at the southeastern corner of Bronx Park, near the Bronx Zoo, while the Brooklyn station is located on parkland adjoining the Botanic Garden. Both are set back slightly from the street with lawns, creating stately settings along major urban thoroughfares. The Brooklyn station is a NYC Landmark (designated 1966), but its Bronx twin is not.
The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan Fire Alarm Telegraph Stations were constructed 1913-1915, but were not placed into service until the new alarm systems they were built to interface with were completed. Manhattan’s station opened in 1922 and Brooklyn and the Bronx followed in 1923.