Fire Barn 5 (Elgin, Illinois) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fire Barn 5
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 533 St. Charles Rd., Elgin, Illinois |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Smith Hoag |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001002 |
| Added to NRHP | August 5, 1991 |
Fire Barn 5, also known as Fire Station 5, is a cool old building in Elgin, Illinois. It used to be a busy fire station, the fifth one in Elgin! When it first opened, it housed horses and a fire carriage. Later, cars took the place of the horses.
This building is a great example of a style called Classical Revival architecture. It worked as a fire station until 1991. That same year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical sites. Today, it's the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum. It's a museum all about the history of firefighting!
Contents
The Story of Fire Barn 5
Elgin's Early Days
The town of Elgin, Illinois, started in the 1830s. It officially became a city in 1854. Once it was a city, Elgin could collect taxes. This money helped build public places like a town hall and schools.
By the late 1860s, Elgin was a busy manufacturing town. Companies like the Elgin National Watch Company and the Gail Borden Condensing Company made the city grow.
Starting the Fire Department
After a big fire on July 15, 1865, Elgin decided it needed a fire department. They built a storage place for fire equipment. It even had a bell to warn people about fires! Citizens were happy to support the department. They even got lower insurance costs because of it.
In 1875, fire hydrants were put in place. At first, the fire department was all volunteers. But by the late 1880s, professional drivers were hired. They drove the fire engines pulled by horses. As Elgin grew, so did its fire department.
New Fire Stations Appear
The first real fire station opened on January 19, 1889. It was built where the first equipment storage used to be. Firefighters could live there while on duty. Just two years later, a second station opened. Two more fire houses were built in 1896.
Building Fire Station 5
Elgin was doing very well in the early 1900s. City leaders decided to build a fifth fire station. They wanted it to have a special look. The city bought the land for $800. Local architect Smith Hoag designed the building.
The new station was finished in 1903. It cost $6,262 to build. The first captain was William Seyfarth. Fire Station 5 was built a bit outside of town. But soon, neighborhoods grew all around it.
Changes Over Time
In the 1910s, many horse-drawn fire carriages were replaced with cars. Telephone lines were put in between stations in 1919. During the Great Depression, Fire Station 5 closed for a short time. The firefighters worked at Fire Station 1 instead. While closed, a sculptor named Trygve Rovelstad used the building as his art studio.
Fire Station Five reopened in 1939. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Soon after, it stopped being an active fire station. Now, it's a museum! You can see old firefighting items there. This includes a Silsby Steamer engine. This type of engine was used to fight the famous Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
Building Design and Style
Outside the Fire Barn
Architect Smith Hoag wanted Fire Barn 5 to show how people saw firefighters. The front of the building looks like a store. It has a big door for the fire trucks. This door is not the original one. It had to be changed for bigger fire equipment.
The building is in the Classical Revival style. This style was popular in the 1900s. Hoag added a second-floor bay window and fancy window shapes. The main door and bay window both have windows on each side.
The building is made of light-colored bricks. It has red brick details on the lintels (beams above windows) and at the corners (called quoins). The roof is sloped and has a round, eight-sided wooden tower. This tower was used as a bell tower.
On the east side, there's a half-circle stained glass window. Below it are brick columns (called pilasters) and a decorative brick band (a frieze). The east side also has a chimney and a small window that sticks out from the roof (a dormer). The west side is similar but has a two-story bay window. It does not have a chimney or dormer. The north end has smaller windows and a hayloft area.
Inside the Fire Barn
Inside, the front part of the building held the fire trucks. The back part was for the horses. The firefighters lived on the second floor. They could slide down a brass pole to get to the first floor quickly! A steep staircase also led to the second floor. This staircase was designed to keep the horses from following the firefighters upstairs. Hay for the horses was stored in the third-floor loft. The fire captain even had his own room with a desk.
