NON-EXTANT FORMER FIRE HOUSE18 Northern Avenue (Northern Avenue Bridge), South BostonEngine Company 44 (Fireboat) |
|
Firehouse/berth of Engine 44, Angus J. McDonald, at the Northern Av. Bridge, So. Boston, c. 1920. 
Firehouse and berth of Engine 44 at the Northern Avenue Bridge, South Boston, circa 1930. 
Firehouse and berth of Engine 44, Matthew J. Boyle, at the Northern Av. Bridge, So. Boston, c. 1946. |
HISTORYThe firehouse at 18 Northern Avenue (the Northern Avenue Bridge), South Boston was open on October 29, 1912 when Fireboat Engine Company 44 moved in from its former berth at Central Wharf. The firehouse was located on a pier off the Northern Avenue Bridge, extending out in a northerly direction. The Bridge runs from Atlantic Avenue on the Downtown side to land on the South Boston side, traversing the Fort Point Channel. Engine 44 stayed here until October 22, 1948 when the company moved to 531 Commercial Street, North End, the former quarters of Fireboat Engine Company 31. The firehouse on the pier at 18 Northern Avenue was abandoned by the Fire Department on October 22, 1948. Many years later, in 1968, the firehouse and the supporting piers beneath it collapsed into the harbor. Also, after many attempts to bring about its demise, the Old Northern Avenue Bridge remains in place, although only used as a pedestrian walkway over the Fort Point Channel. On the sidewalk of the bridge is a locked gate with a partial set of stairs attached. That represents all that remains of the entry point to the fireboat pier where Engine 44 was berthed. 
1959 nautical map shows the location of the (abandoned) firehouse at 18 Northern Av. |