Faison Firehouse Theater

The story

A diagonal aisle cuts through the auditorium at the Faison Firehouse Theater — an architectural quirk that makes it unlike almost any other stage in Harlem. The building itself began as a Beaux Arts firehouse completed in 1909, designed by Philadelphia architect Howard E. Constable for Hook and Ladder Company 40, its limestone façade estimated to cost around $40,000. Tony Award-winning choreographer George Faison bought the abandoned structure in 1999 and renovated it in stages, shaping it into a 350-seat theater with a café, dance and rehearsal space, and a recording studio — a full creative home on Hancock Place.