The Houston Fire Museum, also known as the Fire Museum of Houston, is located in the Midtown District of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. The museum contains interactive exhibits and displays featuring antique and modern firefighting paraphernalia. The museum also educates its visitors in fire safety and prevention and is considered to be one of the finest centers of its kind in Texas. The museum's building, which was originally home to the Houston Fire Department's Fire Station No. 7, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and is a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...

Building history

The building which currently houses the Houston Fire Museum was originally Fire Station No. 7, Houston's oldest

fire house __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ho ...

. Designed in the Romanesque style by Olle J. Lorehn, the two-story brick building was completed in January 1899 and features rusticated stone details, a five bay front with Central arched entry flanked by two apparatus bay entries and unique parapet details. It was updated in the 1920s to accommodate motorized vehicles. Used as a fire station until 1968, the building sat empty after Fire Station No. 7 was relocated until its complete restoration in 1981 in preparation for the opening of the museum.

Exhibits and collection

The museum's exhibits highlight the evolution of firefighting technology as well as local fire service history and features interactive elements including a

fire pole A fireman's pole (also called a firefighter's pole, sliding pole or fire pole) is a pole that firefighters slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a fire station. This allows them to respond to an emergency call faster, as they arrive at ...

which visitors can slide down and a fire engine cab. The collection comprises both antique and modern firefighter uniforms, uniform

emblems An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' are often used in ...

, and equipment; historic fire marks; and photographs from local and national fire service events including the 1947 Texas City disaster. The collection also features firefighting vehicles such as a hand-drawn and hand-powered

pumper A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...

, a horse-drawn steam engine, and a 1912 American Automatic ware tower with an

American LaFrance American LaFrance (ALF) was an American vehicle manufacturer which focused primarily on the production of fire engines, fire aerials, and emergency apparatus such as ambulance and rescue vehicles. Originally located in Elmira, New York, the fin ...

engine, the only vehicle of its type ever used by the HFD.

New museum

According to the Houston Fire Museum's official website, the construction of a new fire museum is currently in the planning stages. This new museum will be modeled after the old Central Fire Station and will emphasize fire safety and prevention education over firefighting history.

References

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External links

Official site
Museums in Houston National Register of Historic Places in Houston Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Firefighting museums in the United States Firefighting in Texas