You may have noticed FDNY spray paints symbols on vacant buildings. In the example below, the “X” in the box indicates that this is an abandoned building. The “FO” indicates that that floor is out (and thus a major hazard for crews who enter).

An abandoned building on Park Avenue (1881 Park Avenue) had been an ARC dormitory, but since the legal and financial implosion of ARC a few years ago it’s sat abandoned. The building has been broken into and recently caught fire. As a result, many of the windows were broken, and the FDNY sprayed “vacant” symbols on the facade:

The “E-35” indicates that the spraying was done by Engine 35, the crew that operates out of the fire station on 3rd Avenue at East 124th Street:

Spray of Ivy

The ivy shown in the photo above led me to include this photo taken from the Metro North platform of an amazing spray of ivy on the assisted living building.