|
Central Fire Station
|
|
|
|
|
| Location: | 331 Scott Street, Davenport, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Built: | 1902 |
| Architect: | Gustav Hanssen |
| Architectural style: | Italianate, Classical Revival |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 83002449 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | April 22, 1982 |
The Central Fire Station is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and serves as the headquarters of the Davenport Fire Department, as well as the downtown fire station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents |
The first group of volunteer firefighters in Davenport were organized in 1856 and called the Independent Fire Engine and Hose Company. [2] The city’s first fire house, Hose Station No. 1, was built on Perry Street in 1877 for the Fire King Engine 2nd Hose Company. Before the turn of the 20th century the city built other small hose stations throughout the city.
By 1901 the city decided it needed a new and larger fire station downtown. Local architect Gustav Hanssen was contracted to build the new station. He had designed several homes in the city including Sacred Heart Rectory, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] The location of a double engine firehouse across West Fourth Street from the Scott County Court House was selected as the location for the new building.[4] The building was opened in 1902 at a cost of $21,000.[3] It continues to serve as a fire station although it does have space and access problems.[3]
For whatever reason Davenport’s fire stations have employed the Italianate style, and the Central Fire Station is no exception. It also employs elements of the Classical Revival style as well. The building is a two-storey structure and featured three bays across its main façade, which faces West Fourth Street. Two towers flank the main entrance, which is on Scott Street. The Italianate elements are found in the hose tower and the low hipped roof. The Classical Revival elements are found in the pedimented entrance and in the round arched window heads and their simplified keystones.[4]
The main floor of the building is an open 57 by 64 foot room with no supporting posts. When it was built it could hold four hose wagons and had stalls for 10 horses that pulled the wagons. The stalls were paved with vitrified brick, and each had its own sewer connect. There was also a ventilation system to help eliminate odors and flies.[3]
The taller tower had a bell loft, which has since been removed. It was then made to look like the shorter tower. A bell, cast in 1869 by Michael Donahue, contained 200 silver dollars to give it a proper ring and was hung in the tall tower.[3] The tower, then as now, was used to hang the fire hoses to dry.
The second floor contained the chief’s bedroom, office and bathroom. There was also a room for a switchboard and repeater. The rest of the second floor was taken up by a dormitory, locker room and bathroom for the fire fighters.[3]
Two additions have been added to the building over the years. The first is a small, one-story attachment on the northwest corner of the building. The second addition is attached to the back of the building facing Scott Street. It is a brick structure that contains a three-bay garage with a second floor above. The larger addition shows elements of the Art Deco style of the 1920s.[4]
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||