But city dwellers reshaped the fire escape, they become makeshift climbing frames for kids, a place to dry washing and outdoor respite from the oppressive heat of city summers - continuing to be an iconic part of the landscape today. It may have gone straight over your head, but believe or not, many of the world’s most famous New York films have fire escapes at the centre of their most memorable scenes.

Also known as the Romeo and Juliet of the 1950s, West Side Story is a romantic tragedy musical that follows two New York gangs The Jets and The Sharks, as they battle for turf and two of the members from opposing gangs secretly fall in love. A Shakespearean twist in Downtown New York, the film makes the most of the city’s iconic architecture for many of it’s most intimate scenes, swapping Romeo and Juliet’s famous balcony for an urban, fire escape. The fire escape is used for two major scenes in the film, firstly the duet between Tony and Maria as he visits her apartment, and the final scene where Tony dies in Maria’s arms - making the fire escape an important backdrop throughout the film. 

Another classic New York musical, Annie captures the lives of 1930s orphans as they dream of finding a loving family, amongst the harsh realities of New York City. Annie is a girl like none other - tough, resilient and willing to fight her corner. One of the film’s most famous songs ‘Hard Knock Life’, incorporates the fire escape and later ends up as the girl’s means of escape from the orphanage. 

The ultimate New York superhero, Spider-man aka school student Peter Parker, discovers his spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider. Vowing to use his gift to fight crime, Peter takes on the persona of Spider-man as he takes on the urban jungle of New York and the villains that come with it. Throughout the film, Spider-man is seen to be navigating around the city in his own way, climbing buildings and swinging from fire escapes. And of course, the famous kiss between Spider-man and Mary Jane sees the superhero hanging upside down from a fire escape as he saves her from a gang of thugs and receives a romantic reward in the rain. 

Here at Underwood Steel, we can install or maintain fire escapes so your building is as safe as it can be. Custom-made, our team will ensure your fire escape is fit for purpose and complies with regulations. Get in touch for more information.