FIREHOUSE,
BATTERY
May 12, 1936. ABBOTT FILE 118
Firehouse,
Battery, variant image
Standing on the same granite wall from which she photographed the Whitehall Building, Abbott turned 90 degrees to photograph the Fire Department's boathouse at the Battery. The building's most distinctive feature was its tower, used to sight harbor fires. Behind the firehouse was Castle Clinton, a fortress built for the War of 1812 and in Abbott's time used as the city's aquarium. Abbott neglected this historically significant site, beloved by New Yorkers and tourists, in favor of the firehouse, a functional Victorian building. A variant image shows the firehouse in profile, the fire department's state-of-the-art fireboat, and a better view of Castle Clinton.
Battery Park, 1931
(CGLI)
Abbott was drawn to the firehouse not only as a subject. In 1931, she had ascended its tower and photographed a sweeping view of Battery Park, showing the Whitehall Building (left), the U.S. Custom House (right), and the Ninth Avenue El, with skyscrapers in the background, including 60 Wall Tower under construction. When the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was constructed in 1941, the firehouse was demolished, and the aquarium was closed. In 1946, Castle Clinton was declared a national landmark; since 1986 it has functioned as a ticket office for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.