The O.H. Booth Hose Company building at 532 Main St. is a Poughkeepsie landmark.
Erected in 1907, the three-story building was home to the company until recently, when it moved into the new Poughkeepsie Public Safety Facility just across the street on Main Street. Now vacant, the building, owned by the city, is reportedly in a state of disrepair. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city has not formally announced plans for the old firehouse, but the Exempt Fireman’s Association has put forth a proposal to breathe new life into the facility going forward into the 21st century. The plan calls for O.H. Booth to be transformed into museum of firefighting, as well as a center of fire safety programs for city residents.
The Exempts were founded in 1886 by O.H. Booth and the nine volunteer fire companies in Poughkeepsie at the time. The club served and continues to serve a dual purpose as a social club and a charitable organization. When the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department went professional in the 1970s, the club opened its doors to volunteers from fire companies around Dutchess as well as Ulster County.
Through funds raised by dues, fundraising events and bar sales at its 200 Mansion St. headquarters, the Exempts generate revenue of approximately $500,000 per year, according to Board of Directors Chair Chris Petsas.
According to Petsas, the idea of a museum and fire safety center has been discussed within the organization for about three years.
“We’re tired of watching the city burn. This is not a recent problem. This city has had a serious fire problem since its inception. Fire safety is a serious, serious threat in Poughkeepsie. I could point out every street on the Northside where a building has burned, including famous landmarks, such as College Hill and the Windsor Hotel,” said Petsas.
According to statistics provided by the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department, the department responded to 4,020 emergency calls last year. There were 45 structure fires, of which five were multiple alarm fires requiring callback of off-duty personnel. Department personnel were on the scene and operating in five minutes or less 93.5 percent of the time. Numbers on accidental or suspicious fires were not immediately available.
Lou Darrow, the financial secretary of the Exempts and the former chief of the Roosevelt Fire Department, emphasized the historical nature of the project.
“This building is on the historical register and we would like to maintain that instead of it being made into another apartment complex. We want to maintain that history,” said Darrow.
The Exempts have been accumulating historical memorabilia for decades, including helmets, trumpets and paintings. There have been discussions with the Red Hook Fire Department over the donation of a 1928 Buffalo Fire Truck.
The Exempts have requested a meeting with Mayor John Tkazyik to walk through the building with an architect to access the condition of the building and money and manpower required to rehabilitate it.
Tkazyik acknowledged that he had received a written request, but said it was premature to schedule a visit with the Exempts as the fire department has not completely vacated the building. Tkazyik said he would look at all options for the future use of O.H. Booth at the appropriate time.
Needs serious work
According to Sal Mauro, president of Local 596 of the International Association of Firefighters, which represents more than 80 city firefighters and officers, the building is in a serious state of disrepair.
“The building was condemned five years ago. The gutters are eating away at the building. There is lead paint, a large infestation of mice and structurally, the building has been settling, and logistically, there is not a lot parking in the back lot. I don’t know where they plan to put people who come and visit,” said Mauro.
There is some disagreement between the Exempts and the city Fire Department about the extensiveness of the fire prevention program being administered through the city’s fire inspection and investigation bureau.
“We visit all city schools yearly and address numerous classes and grades with a program that combines video, lecture and question-and-answer. Many of the visits also include in-service fire apparatus with on-duty firefighters. We also visit numerous private facilities including but not limited to child care and adult care facilities to lecture on fire safety,” said Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Ken Boyd, who added that there were 50 scheduled firehouse visits in 2007 for school classes and other youth groups.
Petsas acknowledged the city program, but feels as though it is not enough.
“They’re not the aggressor (in teaching fire safety) and they need to be the aggressor. The Exempts are willing to knock on doors. People do not take fire safety seriously enough. If there were a rash of burglaries on the Southside, there’d be greater police presence and community pressure. They do stuff, but it’s minimal. It’s not comprehensive for a city that deals with as much fire as we do,” said Petsas.
With 2,200 members, the Exempts say they have the volunteer manpower, including skilled architects and contractors, to accomplish whatever work is needed to refurbish the O.H. Booth Hose Company.
“I’m pretty sure we could apply for state and federal grants,” said Petsas.
According to the Exempts, there has been an underlying tension about whether fire safety education is the exclusive province of the city’s career firefighters. Boyd refused to offer an opinion on whether the Exempts’ proposal should be followed through.
“That decision is one that I’m not involved in whatsoever. It’s the decision of the Common Council and the Mayor. I’m not sure I can give you an unbiased opinion on whether they should or shouldn’t incorporate that into a museum,” said Boyd.
Mauro said the union’s preference would be for the building to remain as close as possible to a replica of a working firehouse.
“If what (the Exempts) were doing was in cooperation with the fire inspection bureau, we would endorse it wholeheartedly. If they were doing it on their own, then I’d probably have some concerns,” said Mauro, who said that as a private citizen he would prefer the building go back on the tax rolls.
In the immediate future, the Exempts plan to make a presentation to the Common Council in February to detail their proposal, as well as set up a Web site for the project. Lawn signs have already sprung up, urging support for the proposal. For more information, go to www.exempts.org.