SoHo in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Father Fagan Park
0.15 Acre
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 1, 2021
This park commemorates four local heroes who perished in the face of fire, losing their lives that others might live. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Father Richard Fagan (1911-1938) moved with his family to Boston, Massachusetts as a child and later lived in Brooklyn New York. He studied with the Marist Brothers in Poughkeepsie and entered the Preparatory Seminary at Catskill in 1926. Three years later, he graduated from St. Anthony's Seraphic Seminary and entered the Novitiate in Pittsburgh. In 1932 he came to St. Francis Seraphic Seminary and was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1935. Father Fagan was called to duty at St. Anthony's Church in 1936 and lived at the rectory at 151 Thompson Street.
The rectory caught fire in the early morning of November 4, 1938. Father Fagan escaped and then twice reentered the burning building—first to rescue Father Louis Vitale, and again to save Father Bonaventure Pons. Trapped in the rectory and badly burned, Father Fagan leaped through a window to the roof of the Settlement House a floor below. He was found and brought to Columbus Hospital, age of twenty-seven. To describe Father Fagan's heroic life and heroic death, members of his church quote the Book of John: "There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
In 1994 another deadly fire stunned the neighborhood. On the night of March 28, Ladder Company 5 and Engine Company 24 of the Fire Department of New York responded to a blaze at 62 Watts Street. While operating on the second floor landing, Captain John J. Drennan (1945-1994) and Firefighters James F. Young (1963-1994) and Christopher J. Siedenburg (1969-1994) were trapped in a sudden flashover from the burning apartment beneath them. Firefighter Young was killed almost instantly. Firefighter Siedenburg died the next day, and Captain Drennan died six weeks later.
Located on the Avenue of the Americas between Prince and Spring Streets, this sitting area was one of several wedge-shaped plazas developed when Sixth Avenue (the former official name of the Avenue of the Americas) was extended south of Carmine Street in the mid-1920s. The park was named in memory of Father Fagan by local law in 1941 and was one of several properties along the avenue in the Greenwich Village area rehabilitated by NYC Park in 1960.
In 1994 three bronze plaques were installed next to trees in the northern section of the parcel in memory of the three firefighters who sacrificed their lives in the Watts Street blaze. The park was renovated in 2017-2018, maintaining the site's open design while making it more attractive and welcoming with an enhanced sitting area and additional greenery. A water supply also was
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 1, 2021
Erected by New York City Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Disasters • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical date for this entry is March 28, 1926.
Location. 40° 43.612′ N, 74° 0.197′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in SoHo. Marker is on Prince Street just east of Avenue of the Americas, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY 10014, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Saw Mill on King Street 1830 (within shouting distance of this marker); Today’s IFC Film Center Building in 1926 (within shouting distance of this marker); 203 Prince Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District (within shouting distance of this marker); 116 Sullivan Street (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lieutenant Vincent F. Giammona (about 400 feet away); Lieutenant Michael P. Warchola (about 400 feet away); Firefighter Andrew C. Brunn (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Also see . . .
1. Father Fagan Park. Official New York City Parks description (Submitted on October 5, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. "Fireman Dies In Battling Blaze in SoHo". New York Times article: March 29,1994 (Submitted on October 5, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 3, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on October 5, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.