Los Angeles Fire Department Museum And Memorial
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The Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial is located at Old Engine Co. No. 27, also known as Fire Station No. 27, on
Cahuenga Boulevard Cahuenga Boulevard () is a major boulevard of northern Los Angeles, California, US. The “Cahuenga” name is a Spanish, phonetic derivative with no actual Spanish language meaning that is attributed to the Tongva village of Kawengna, meaning ...
in Hollywood. The museum houses old fire engines and fire apparatus, some dating from the 1880s. The museum also houses a reference library and fire safety learning center. The building was named a Los Angeles Cultural-Heritage Monument in 1976 and was listed in 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 ...
in 1985. The Fallen Firefighters Memorial in front of the station consists of a memorial wall listing all of the Los Angeles firefighters who have died in the line of duty and five life-size statues of firefighters.


History of Engine Co. No. 27

At , the Italian Renaissance revival building housing Engine Co. No. 27 was the largest fire station west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
when it opened in July 1930.Brochure from Los Angeles Fire Department Museum (2003) For more than 60 years, the old fire station served the Hollywood community, including the motion picture studios and the stars who lived in the
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
. It was also used a movie location by, among others,
The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...
and Buster Keaton. The use of the building as both a movie location and a working fire station sometimes led to difficulties. In 1937, a real fire broke out while a Hollywood studio was filming the motion picture, '' Two Platoons'', at Fire Station No. 27. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported on the incident this way:
The entire crew was on hand as atmosphere and the equipment served as a background.
Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jer ...
and Robert Armstrong were in the middle of a scene when the alarm sounded. Moviemaking meant nothing in the life of Battalion Chief Rothermel at that moment. Before (director John) Farrow could finish the sequence, the fire engines were speeding on their way to a brush fire in the
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
. The movie company had to wait an hour before action could be resumed.
In 1950, the captain of Engine Co. No. 27, Michael J. Carter, died in the line of duty while supervising a firefighting effort at a recordmaking facility in Hollywood. Capt. Carter is one of the fallen firefighters now honored by the memorial located in front of Engine Co. No. 27. One firefighter, Lawrence T. O'Neill, served at Station 27 for 34 years starting in 1929. At the time of his retirement in 1963, O'Neill recalled the company's efforts in fighting the Paramount sound stage fire in 1929, the Consolidated Laboratories fire the same year, and dozens of other fires over the years. In 1976, an interagency dispute arose, as the Fire Department Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to oppose the designation of Station No. 27 as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the City's Cultural Heritage Commission. Fire Chief Kenneth Long expressed concerns that the designation would make it impossible for the city to rebuild the station or to sell it to build a new station elsewhere. Despite the fire department's opposition, Fire Station No. 27 was disengaged as the city's Cultural-Historical Monument #165 in October 1976. The historic designation saved Engine Co. No. 27 when the Los Angeles Fire Department announced plans in 1984 to demolish 16 old fire stations as part of the largest building program ever undertaken by the department. The station was also listed in 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 ...
in 1985. Rather than demolishing the old firehouse, a new fire station was built next door. The building was damaged in the
1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately 1 ...
, but was restored to its earlier appearance for use as a museum honoring the
Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, Fire investigation, fire cause determination, fire prevention, Firefighting, fire suppression, Dangerous goods, hazardous materials mitigation, and Resc ...
.


Los Angeles Fire Department Museum

The Los Angeles Fire Department Museum opened in October 2001—the month after the
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on the
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in
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, New York, and
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in
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,
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. The walls of the museum are filled with historical photographs on the department's history. The museum houses several old fire engines, artifacts and historical firefighting equipment, some dating from the 1880s. There is also a research library and a learning center where fire and life safety lessons are taught. The benefactor of the museum is retired Los Angeles firefighter and Medal of Valor recipient, William Rolland. Rolland said of the museum: "I believe we must begin by educating our youth. A museum is not something you finish; museums are something you start. We will teach and educate children and their parents in fire safety awareness, emergency procedures and EMS technology of today." When the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' published an article on the museum in 2003, it wrote: "With its high ceilings, six old-fashioned brass fire poles and nearly a dozen antique fire engines, the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum looks like a set from a Hollywood back lot. ... But Fire Station 27 has a greater purpose: keeping the flame of L.A. Fire Department history." The Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society also operates three other museums—the Los Angeles Harbor Fire Museum, located at 638 Beacon St., San Pedro; the Plaza Fire House near Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles; and the African American Fire Fighter Museum, located at 1401 S. Central Avenue.


Fallen Firefighters Memorial

In front of the museum is the Fallen Firefighter Memorial. It includes a memorial wall with the names of every known Los Angeles firefighter who has died while on active duty. The memorial also includes a series of life-size bronze statues depicting five firefighters. Two of the firefighters are depicted attacking a fire, while a fallen firefighter is attended to by a fourth figure. The fifth figure is the fire captain, shown making a command decision and also caring for the downed firefighter. The statues was based on a concept and designed by Los Angeles Fire Captain Harold Dwayne Golden and created in Minnesota by Honors for Excellence. In 2005, firefighters staged a torch relay through the city to raise funds for the memorial that was then anticipated to cost $1.5 million. Each battalion in the Los Angeles Fire Department took turns running with the torch. At the time, firefighter Dominic Pascal said, "You don't want to forget your family members, and we don't want to forget ours. ... It's a significant, emotional event when you lose someone in a fire."


See also

* Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood *
List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles This is a List of the National Register of Historic Places in the city of Los Angeles. (For those in the rest of Los Angeles County, go here.) Current listings :' ...
*
Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, Fire investigation, fire cause determination, fire prevention, Firefighting, fire suppression, Dangerous goods, hazardous materials mitigation, and Resc ...
* Fire Station No. 14 (Los Angeles, California), NRHP-listed, historic all-black segregated fire station in South Los Angeles *
Fire Station No. 23 (Los Angeles, California) Fire Station No. 23 is a former fire station in Downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1910 as an operating fire station, it was also the Los Angeles Fire Department's headquarters until 1920 and the residence of every fire chief from 1910-1928. When it ...
, NRHP-listed, built in 1910 in Downtown Los Angeles * Engine House No. 18 (Los Angeles, California), NRHP-listed, Mission Revival fire station built in 1904 in West Adams district *
Engine Company No. 28 Engine Company No. 28 is a former Los Angeles Fire Department fire station on Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1912 at a cost of , the structure served as an operating fire station until it was closed in 1967. One of the first rei ...
, NRHP-listed fire station in Downtown Los Angeles built in 1912 *
Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30 Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30 is a historic fire station and engine company in the South Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California. Closed in 1980, the building is now home to the African American Firefighter Museum (AAFFM). The AAF ...
, NRHP-listed, historic all-black segregated fire station and engine company in South Los Angeles * Ralph J. Scott'', 100-foot fireboat built in 1925 and attached to the Los Angeles Fire Department, designated as a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...


References


External links


official Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Los Angeles Fire Department Museum And Memorial Firefighting memorials Firefighting museums in California History museums in Hollywood, Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in California Monuments and memorials in Los Angeles National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles