Engine House No. 6 (Columbus, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Engine House No. 6
|
|
 |
|
| Location | 540 W. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | John Flynn |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000595 |
| Added to NRHP | September 2, 2016 |
Engine House No. 6 is an old fire station in Columbus, Ohio. It is also called the East Franklinton Engine House. This building was finished in 1892. It was designed by an architect named John Flynn. The style of the building is called Romanesque Revival.
The fire station stopped being used in 1966. Later, from 1975 to 2014, it was an electronics store. In 2016, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical building. There are plans to sell and fix up the building. The Columbus Historical Society is trying to buy it.
This station is special because it's one of only two Columbus fire stations designed by John Flynn that are still standing. It's also one of seven fire stations from the 1890s left in the city.
Contents
Cool Features of Engine House No. 6
The Engine House No. 6 building was finished in 1892. John Flynn designed it in the Romanesque Revival style. This means it looks a bit like old Roman buildings. The building is made of brick and limestone. It is about 44 feet wide and 64 feet long.
The area around the building used to be mostly homes. But by the 1950s, it changed to mostly businesses and factories. The fire station building still looks much like it did when it was new. Some of its front windows and doors have been filled in.
The front of the building had two big doorways. These were for the horse-drawn fire equipment. Above these doors, there was a row of windows. Even though the doors and many windows are now filled in, the brick and limestone still look great.
A very tall part of the building is the 60-foot-tall hose tower. This tower was used to hang and dry out fire hoses after they were used. This was important to keep the hoses in good shape. The station also had stables for horses. There was even a loft to store their food. These parts remind us that horses used to pull the fire engines.
A Look Back: History of the Fire Station
Engine House No. 6 was built in 1892. It was a working fire station until 1966. It was always open during those years. The only time it wasn't fully working was during the Great Flood of 1913. During that flood, the water reached the second-story windows! In an earlier flood in 1897, the water only filled the basement.
After it closed as a fire station, the building was put up for sale in 1967. A man named William C. Rea bought it. He wanted to open an electronics store there. He also thought about having a Christian film office and a museum. From 1975 to 2014, it was home to "Jimmy Rea Electronics."
In 2014, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) bought the building. They built new homes next to it. Around 2016, there were plans for the building to become offices for an organization called Heritage Ohio. They wanted to spend a lot of money to fix it up. They also hoped the first floor could be a shop or a restaurant.
Heritage Ohio and the housing authority helped get the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 2019, the Columbus Historical Society joined Heritage Ohio to buy the building. But by 2020, Heritage Ohio decided it was too expensive. They now plan to move to the Ohio History Center. This left the Columbus Historical Society to try and buy the building alone.
The old agreement was canceled. The fire station was put up for sale again in September 2020. It got several offers. But the CMHA took it off the market again. They still prefer the historical society to buy it. The Columbus Historical Society is now raising money to try and purchase the building.
Other Old Fire Stations in Columbus
Engine House No. 6 is one of about twelve fire stations built in Columbus in the 1890s. Seven of these old stations are still standing today. They are in different conditions. Engine House No. 6 is one of the best preserved. Its inside layout and building materials are still much like they were originally.
It is also one of only two fire stations designed by John Flynn that are left in Columbus. He designed six of them originally. Other 1890s stations still in Columbus include:
- Engine House No. 5, built in 1894, at 121 Thurman Avenue (also designed by Flynn)
- Engine House No. 7, built in 1894, at 31 Euclid Avenue
- Engine House No. 8, at 283 N. 20th Street
- Engine House No. 10, built in 1897, at 1096 W. Broad Street
- Engine House No. 11, built in 1896, at 1000 E. Main Street
- Engine House No. 12, built in 1896, at 734 Oak Street
Gallery
-
Main front of the building
-
Back of the building
-
Close-up of the main front
-
The station after the Great Flood of 1913
-
One of the station's steam fire engines, 1919
Images for kids
-
Flynn's Engine House No. 5
