6. The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory Used to be a Fire Boat Station

The threat of fire was a constant concern along the waterfront, which was home to warehouses and ships filled with highly combustible goods. Between 1822 and 1952, at least 26 fires swept across what is now the Brooklyn Bridge Park. To prevent or contain the fires, Brooklyn relied on a combination of land and sea forces, such as Engine Company 24 on Furman Street, which operated Brooklyn’s largest fire engine. The Fire Department of New York took over after 1898, when Brooklyn officially became a borough. Today, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is housed inside the former Marine Fire Boat Station, which opened in 1926.