Did you know that the building currently housing Van Leeuwen ice cream on Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Fulton Ferry Landing was originally a Fireboat House? It was built in the 1920s after a fire destroyed the nearby ferry terminal.
60 years later, the New York City Economic Development Corporation put out a Request for Proposal for the restoration of the building, with a requirement that all historical aspects of it be carefully preserved, so it could be used as an exhibit space.
Li Saltzman Architects, a New York City based firm with a focus on historical preservation, got the job. Partners Judith Saltzman and Roz Li completed the architectural drawings 31 years ago and reflected on their experience restoring something that would be for mixed use over a long period of time. Since the restoration, it has been a museum & café as well as several different ice cream shops, with BBP-owned offices on the upper floor.
The intent was to reuse as much of the original of the building as possible, Li said – they saved the marble wainscoting and pressed metal that you see inside. However, Saltzman explained that there were some challenges to preserving a historic building. For example, the original smooth-finish shingles on the building contained asbestos.
“We were required to abate [asbestos] … but we were also required to match the historic shingles.”
The architects purchased sample shingles from various manufacturers, eventually finding some that had a smooth finish on the back. Luckily, the shingles met the project’s technical requirements even when installed backwards.
Another challenge was that the building did not adhere to the accessibility standards, so Li and Saltzman were tasked with adding a ramp, installing new toilets, and leveling the floors for wheelchair access.
To make the new ramp contextual, they added a railing that matches the one that wraps around Fulton Ferry Landing, which has quotations from a Walt Whitman’s poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” cast into it. The ramp Li Saltzman added has “Fulton Ferry Fireboat House” cast in the same style.
In March 1995, Li Saltzman completed drawings for a newly restored Fireboat House that would adhere to accessibility standards, honor the historic design of the building, and be able to serve various purposes. In 1996, they were awarded a Certificate of Merit from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for this project.
Because of their hard work, Brooklyn Bridge Park can host Van Leeuwen inside the Fireboat House – which means year-round ice cream for all our visitors. Interested in more? Watch our TikTok with Judith and Roz here.
