This door is history!
Brooklyn Heights’ Bravest have taken down the iconic door from their Middagh Street firehouse, which is emblazoned with a mural paying tribute to its eight firefighters who died at ground zero on 9-11, and sent it off to the 9–11 Museum in Manhattan, where it will eventually go on display if all goes to plan, according to one of the blaze-busters.
“It will be displayed in the 9-11 Museum for all to see, but for now will be in storage,” said Engine 205 Ladder 118 station firefighter Gerard Bellettiere.
Two artists and one firefighter painted the door shortly after 9-11 with a scene of the Brooklyn Bridge, the U.S. flag, the Twin Towers with a cross on top, and eight stars to represent the station’s men who were killed while working at the scene when the towers fell — Vernon Cherry, Leon Smith, Robert Regan, Pete Vega, Joey Agnello, Scott Davidson, Robert Wallace, and Martin Egan.
A local photographer snapped a now-famous photo of Ladder 118 speeding across the Brooklyn Bridge towards the towers that the Daily News splashed across its cover.
Bellettiere said he was sad to see the door leave the firehouse, but he thinks putting it on display at the museum will be a fitting tribute to the fallen heroes and will mean a lot to their loved ones.
“To us the door means a lot because of the fact that it’s representing the guys we lost and not to mention it means a lot to the families because some of the families never found any of the remains from the guys who were killed that day,” he said. “As well as the memorial, it’s a tribute to them.”
