NYC Fire Museum Reopens Ahead of 25-year 9/11 Anniversary
The official museum for the FDNY was closed for over two years to complete necessary renovations, but is finally open again under Executive Director Dominick DeRubbio.
| 21 Aug 2026 | 05:45
On display at the Fire Museum: the 9/11 photo by Shannon Stapleton of the body of FDNY chaplain Father Mychal Judge carried by firefighters Christian Vaughn and Zachary Vause; NYPD Lt. William Cosgrove; Kevin Allen of the Office of Emergency Management and civilian John Maguire from Goldman Sachs. (
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(From left) Fire Museum Executive Director Dominick DeRubbio and FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore use an FDNY ax to cut the reopening ribbon held by Council members Christopher Marte and Joann Ariola. (
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A crowd forms around the Fire Museum’s entrance during its reopening morning, around 10 a.m. on Aug. 20. (
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The new flooring at the Fire Museum’s entryway, representing FDNY and EMS houses across the city. (
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The turnout jacket and helmet worn by FDNY chaplain Fr. Mychal Judge on the day he perished while praying on the ground floor of the north tower on 9/11 are back on permanent display at the reopened Fire Museum on Spring Street. (
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The Fire Museum at 278 Spring St., which reopened after being shut for repairs for over two years, is housed in what was once a firehouse used by Engine 30 and Rescue 1. (
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The Museum’s 9/11 memorial, the first permanent memorial to the FDNY members tragically lost in 9/11. (
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Older FDNY engines, also on display in the museum. (
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A close up on the 9/11 memorial. (
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A FDNY helmet recovered from the 9/11 wreckage. (
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As New York City approaches 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the NYC Fire Museum has reopened its doors following a two-year shut down to address faults in the building’s structural integrity.
The museum, located at 278 Spring Street in a renovated 1904 firehouse, opened at 10 a.m. on August 20. The firehouse was once home to Engine Co. 30 and Rescue 1, Manhattan’s FDNY Rescue Company; Rescue 1 was among the very first groups to arrive on scene on Sept. 11, ultimately losing 11 men that day.
Museum visitors can find centuries-old fire engines and supplies across the museum’s two floors, including horse-drawn vehicles and still-colorful early iterations of the FDNY helmet. The institution is also home to the first permanent memorial honoring each of the 343 FDNY members who died on Sept. 11.
The exhibits themselves aren’t unique to the museum’s reopening; in fact, as the museum underwent renovations, many artifacts stayed in place as the work carried on around them. Since the museum has material stretching back to the 17th century, only three percent of its archive can be on display at any given moment.
The Fire Museum’s first day open to the public since May 2024 launched with statements from key leaders and stakeholders, including Executive Director Dominick DeRubbio, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, Co-Chief FDNY Chaplain Rabbi Joseph Potasnik and Council Members Christopher Marte, a Democrat and Joann Ariola , a Republican from Queens .
The Fire Museum is within Marte’s District 1, while Ariola represents a Queens district that includes parts of Rockaway Beach, home to many firefighters and serves as Chair Of the Council’s Fire And Emergency Management Committee.
DeRubbio started in the role in October 2025, but has long maintained a deep connection to the city and the FDNY. A lifelong New Yorker, DeRubbio lost his uncle, David P. DeRubbio, in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. On Aug. 20, he made a point to thank everyone who helped bring the museum back, from FDNY members and volunteers to electricians and sanitation workers.
DeRubbio shared that the Fire Museum would soon receive the World Trade Responder Bell, which they commissioned from the Marinelli Foundry in Italy, widely recognized as the oldest bell foundry in the world.
“The bell is to serve as a permanent memorial to the FDNY members who died from illnesses as a result of their exposure at Ground Zero, and the other responders who served alongside them,” DeRubbio said. He added that the memorial will be unveiled at the 25-year anniversary ceremony in September.
“Everything here, all the equipment, the pictures, the artifacts, the exhibits, they all tell a story of courage, innovation, sacrifice, and service,” Commissioner Bonsignore said. “With the 25th anniversary of 9/11 right around the corner, the museum takes on an even greater significance.”
Council Members Marte and Ariola, who alongside City Council Speaker Julie Menin were instrumental in securing the $900,000 required to renovate the museum’s roof, both said that the conversations needed for that process were “the easiest budget discussions” they’d ever had.
“It was because people understood what this building means,” Marte said. Ariola emphasized the teamwork that went into reopening the museum.
“It is a bipartisan team, which is how this city should always work,” Ariola, one of five Republicans on the 51-member City Council, said. “For the fire department, it will always work that way.” In a separate comment to Straus News, Ariola emphasized Marte’s sentiment regarding how easy it was to garner support: “Who could resist?”
Fire Museum Retail and Special Projects Coordinator Angela Rodriguez told Straus News that reopening the museum was “a labor of love.” Explaining that she grew up by a firehouse and also lost someone, a firefighter, on Sept. 11, Rodriguez grew visibly emotional sharing what the FDNY and museum meant to her.
Pointing down, Rodriguez highlighted how the new museum entrance floor now features stylized patches from FDNY and EMS houses across the city. Both she and DeRubbio have spoken to the importance of representing all of the FDNY, especially EMS.
The floor patches weren’t all representing EMS by the entryway; former FDNY paramedic Tyrone Sims sat at the front desk. Sims said he was a paramedic for over two decades, starting at the FDNY in 2016 until he suffered an injury on the job.
Despite that apparent bad luck, Sims had a warm smile for everyone passing through the Fire Museum’s first day reopened to the public (which was free–usually admissions prices range from $3-15).
Active Manhattan firefighter Stefano brought his young son, Cristiano, to the museum on reopening day, both sporting navy FDNY tees. Stefano said it was good to see FDNY history and culture on display in the museum, being a “big fan” of history himself. Walking through the exhibitions with Cristiano, Stefano highlighted key facts and curiosities, like many of their fellow visitors.
The official museum of the FDNY is open to New Yorkers once again, but the work isn’t done.
“What’s next?” DeRubbio posed the rhetorical question in his speech. “Let’s make this building home.”