answer:My intuitive answer is no., But then like you I grew up in an apartment (in the Bronx) so what do I know. Conceivably you could cut the gas line i.e. turn it off, and burn logs, but I would question whether this a good idea or not. A wood-burning fireplace is going to have a chimney and a flue where the smoke and fumes are directed. A gas fireplace may or may not have been constructed with a REAL WORKING CHIMNEY and if your fireplace is not constructed that way, then starting a fire is going to at the very least stink up the house and at worst be dangerous. On the other hand if this was originally a working fireplace that was retrofitted to run gas, you might not have a problem. However, I would think a blazing wood fire is going to damage the gas-burning equipment that is installed in your house. I don’t even know who you can call about this. An electrician? Good Luck and don’t light anything until you know what you are doing..