Lake Street Fire Station facts for kids
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Lake Street Fire Station
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2 Lake Street, Gardner, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1884 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | West Gardner Square Historic District (ID85003185) |
| NRHP reference No. | 80001676 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 25, 1980 |
| Designated CP | December 30, 1985 |
The Lake Street Fire Station is a really old and cool building in Gardner, Massachusetts. It was built way back in 1884! At first, it was a school on the second floor and a fire station downstairs. But the school only stayed for a few years. The fire station kept going strong until the 1980s.
This building is special because it's a great example of old-fashioned Victorian architecture. It's so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It's also part of the West Gardner Square Historic District.
What Does It Look Like?
The old Lake Street Fire Station is in downtown Gardner. You can find it between Richmond and Central Streets. It faces a plaza that used to be part of Lake Street. This plaza is near the old Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex.
The building is made of red bricks and has a gabled roof. It has two and a half stories. On the ground floor, there were once four big openings for fire trucks. These openings now have large windows. The building's main entrance is also here. Each of these openings has a rounded top made of bricks.
In the middle, there's a wooden window that sticks out. It has a small gable roof above it. The windows on the sides are narrower. They also have rounded tops with stone details and brick arches.
From Fire Station to Visitors Center
The fire station was built in 1884. When it first opened, a school was on the second floor. But the school moved out just six years later, in 1890. The basement also had a small jail cell. This cell was later changed into a room for the building's heating system.
The station originally had four bays for fire trucks. It also had a tall tower. This tower was used to hang and dry the long fire hoses. The hose tower is no longer there. A newer part was added to the left side of the building. This addition has three more truck bays. Today, this part of the building is home to the local visitors center.
