Catherine Street Fire Station

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Catherine Street Fire Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Added to NRHP: June 13, 1972
Visitation: 12,677 (in 2006)
Governing body: City of Jacksonville

The Catherine Street Fire Station is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, originally located at 14 Catherine Street, but relocated to Metropolitan Park. The building now houses a fire museum, variously known as "Museum of City Fire of 1901", "Jacksonville Fire Museum" & "Catherine Street Fire Museum". Among the 500+ artifacts on display are an 1806 Hand pumper, a 1926 American LaFrance Fire Engine and a 1898 Steam Engine that was used to fight the 1901 Jacksonville Fire.[1] The museum hosts over 12,000 visitors each year.

[edit] History

The original Fire Station No. 3 was opened in 1886 on the south side of the 500 block of East Bay Street, but was destroyed during the great fire of Jacksonville on May 3rd, 1901 that burned 144 city blocks and 2,365 Structures in less than 8 hours.. After the fire, a temporary shed was constructed on the old location while a new station was built at 12 Catherine St. Bricks were salvaged from destroyed buildings and used to build the north, south, and west walls of the new firehouse. The two-story brick building has a flat roof and accommodated a steam fire engine and two horses on the ground floor and men's quarters on the upper level. Ten months after the Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901, the new Fire Station 3 was opened. [2]

The Jacksonville Fire Department shop facilities moved to the rear of station 3 in 1920. In 1933, Fire Station 3 was deactivated and the firemen were moved to new Fire Station 14 on Herschel Street in Avondale. The shop facility remained at the 12 Catherine Street facility until they, too were moved to a new building in 1952. From then until 1973, the department used Fire Station 3 as a storage facility.

In the early 1970's, Jacksonville Fire Lieutenant Paul Galloway and Engineer Wayne Doolittle began a campaign to recognize the building as historically significant. After securing the assistance of the Jacksonville Historical and Cultural Conservation Commission and the Jacksonville Mayor’s Office, the Catherine Street Fire Station was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1972. The State of Florida Historical trust provided funds for renovation, and the Jacksonville Fire Museum officially opened to the public on October 3rd, 1982.

Engineering studies conducted in 1993 revealed deterioration of the foundation and large cracks in the bricks which posed a threat to collapse at any time. Once again, the Mayor’s Office and the Department of State, Division of Historical Preservation provided assistance, and funding was made available for the restoration of Fire Station No. 3 at its new home in Metropolitan Park, where it stands today.

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