The Old Brooklyn Firehouse was designed in 1892 by Frank Freedman. The red brick Romanesque-style building served as Brooklyn's fire headquarters until 1972. Its seven story tower – then the tallest structure around – enabled fire watchers to detect blazes around the borough. If billows of smoke were spotted, horse-drawn fire wagons were dispatched from the firehouse located at 365-367 Jay Street between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street. In 1972, it was included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Later that same year, the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn developed interest in purchasing and renovating the Jay Street Firehouse. After years of negotiation and planning, Poly entered long-term lease with the City of New York to develop a fire research center at the site in June 1976.

Paul DeCicco, director of Poly's Center for Urban and Environmental Studies, spearheaded the development of the Fire Research Center. Working with Architect William A. Hall and administrators at Polytechnic, the building was designed to include a demonstration laboratory, a large computer display to simulate fires and firefighting situations, and a low speed wind tunnel to study fire phenomena. The center also included classrooms, training areas, a fire reference library, as well as assembly and gallery space for public exhibitions and performances. Proposals for the building included a shared space with the Poly Media Institute.

The project was funded by the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation; the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. The remainder came from private donations.