Hook & Ladder Company #8
14 N. Moore St.
New York, NY 10013
History – written by Chris Buchner (used with permission)
For those of you expecting some ghostly action here, sorry to disappoint you. Unlike in the movies, Ladder 8 is a fully functioning firehouse. While the firehouse itself wasn’t built until 1912, Ladder Company 8 was formed on October 16th, 1865 originally located at 153 Franklin Street. They were later moved to 7 N. Moore and finally one door over to 14 N. Moore where we know them today. This was the building that served as the facade for the Ghostbusters headquarters. As with most of the other sets in the movies, the interior was done in Los Angels, specifically at retired Fire Station 23. For some scenes, however, the crews filmed 20 feet inside the New York firehouse, specifically for Ecto-1 coming out for the first bust.
Although many of the firemen who were around for the first movie has long since moved on or retired, there are still a couple from the days of the second. They are very tolerant to Ghostbusters fans and happily answer any question you might have. When visiting this location, take note of the left hand wall which proudly displays the Ghostbusters 2 sign that once hung outside as well as set photographs from when the crew was filming there. Also, for $20, you can get one of their house shirts, any size. Each shirt features the company’s name and a picture of the modified GB2 logo to represent their company.
Fun Facts
“Hollywood & Vinyl” (1997)
This episode of the VH-1 series takes a look at three ’80s movies: Ghostbusters, Rocky IV, and Beverly Hills Cop. Host John Fugelsang walked around the firehouse, outside and inside, and even got to slide down their pole.
1. This is the inside of the firehouse. Notice the “Ghostbusters II” logo sign hanging on the wall directly behind John’s head.
2. Close-up of the “Ghostbusters II” logo sign. In the film, both halves of this sign hang above the firehouse doors.
“Secrets of New York: TriBeCa: Mysteries of New York’s Backlot Revealed” (2007, Season 3, Episode 1)
In this episode of the official New York City TV series, host Kelly Choi reveals the secrets of three of TriBeCa’s landmarks. The first one of which is, of course, Hook & Ladder #8.
View The Entire Segment (or Show)
Firehouse segment is third down on the right
* NYC.gov/Brightcove (Flash) – Streaming / Download (9:28, 36.3 Mb)
Firehouse seen at 1:16, 2:07 (far in background behind host), 3:08 (shots from Robert Deniro’s American Express commercial), and 3:23-9:28 (segment about the firehouse and the NYFD).
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