Friday, November 16, 2007

Knickerbocker Village History: Madonna House, Part 2


Still haven't found the exact date of the fire that destroyed the Madonna House. However this occured on August 19, 1956. Madonna House is on the left, the dark building casting a shadow. You can see that there is a rooftop play area present.
WAREHOUSE BLAZE SLOWS BRIDGE LANE
A four-alarm fire did extensive damage last night to a five-story warehouse at Water and Pike Streek on the Lower East Side. Six families from nearby buildings and fourteen nuns from Madonna House, a Roman Catholic Settlement House at 173 Cherry Street, were evacuated as a precautionary measure. There were no injuries. The fire broke out shortly before 8:40 P.M. in the building at 452 Water Street occupied by the Hadshian Export Clothing Co. The cause was not immediately determined. The blaze, confined to the building's two top floors, was declared under control at 9:54P.M. Firemen fighting the fire from the upper south roadway of the Manhattan Bridge, twenty-five feet north of the used clothing warehouse, slowed Brooklyn bound traffic, but did not halt it. Subway trains on the bridge ran normally

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I went to Madonna House for religious instrutions when I was young and I remember having much fun there. One nun stood out and I remember her being called Sister Roberta and she was always balling stickball with the boys.