Engine Company No. 2 facts for kids
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Engine Company No. 2
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Ladder Company No. 2 in 2010
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 Location in Hudson County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1313 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey |
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| Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architect | French, Dixon & DeSaldern |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| MPS | Hoboken Firehouses and Firemen's Monument TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002684 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1984 |
The Engine Company No. 2 firehouse is a historic building in Hoboken, New Jersey. You can find it at 1313 Washington Street. This old fire station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1984. This means it is an important building worth protecting because of its history and design.
A Look at the Firehouse's Past
The story of Engine Company No. 2 began after a fire. The original firehouse, built in 1880, sadly burned down in 1888. Because of this, the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company gave land for a new one. This happened on July 18, 1889.
The new firehouse was built in 1890. It was designed by a team of architects called French, Dixon & DeSaldern. They used a style known as Romanesque Revival. M.J. Connolly was the mason, and John Meighan was the carpenter.
In the early 1970s, the main door where the fire trucks come out was made wider. This change meant some parts of the old design had to be removed. However, the "Engine Co. No. 2" letters on the building are still the original ones. After another big fire in the 1980s, the firehouse was fixed up. Its outside was restored, and the inside was made more modern.
Today, this historic building is still a working fire station. It is home to Engine Company 5 and Ladder Company 1 of the Hoboken Fire Department. There's a fun local story that says the firehouse was built a bit further back from the street. This was supposedly to protect people walking by from firefighters spitting tobacco!
The Unique Design of the Firehouse
Engine Company No. 2 is a three-story building. It shows off the Romanesque Revival architectural style. You can also see influences from Richardsonian Romanesque design. This firehouse was special because it was the first one in Hoboken to have a fire tower. A fire tower is a tall section often used to hang and dry fire hoses.
The building has one chimney on its northern side. The main material used for the walls is light brown brick. You can also see horizontal strips of sandstone across the front of the building. The large door for the fire engines has decorative cast-iron pillars on each side.
On the southern side of the building, a tower rises four stories high. The main roof and the tower roof are covered with orange-colored tiles. These tiles are made of terra cotta.
