Fire Station No. 1 is a former

fire station __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 ...

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 ...

in the Downtown neighborhood of the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, United States. Modeled after

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. The structure forms the centerpi ...

, Fire Station No. 1 served as one of the longest continuously operating fire stations in the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

from its completion in 1907 through the opening of a replacement facility in 2007. Designed by the Lynchburg firm of Huggins and Bates, No. 1 still stands as a monument to the civic pride of early Roanoke. It is located in the

Roanoke City Market Historic District Roanoke City Market Historic District, also known as City Market District, is a national historic district located in the Downtown Roanoke area of Roanoke, Virginia. The district's history dates to 1882, when the Norfok and Western Railway (N ...

History

With a purely

volunteer force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

in place within the city beginning in 1882, the first paid firefighters were hired in 1906, and ground was officially broken for No. 1 on February 19, 1906. Completed by 1907, the station exhibits the

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, Ge ...

style of an Edwardian-era firehouse. It features a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

ashlar foundation and a solid brick facade with

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

accents, topped with a bell tower that provided views of the entire city upon its completion. By 1911 the city purchased their first engine powered fire truck stationed at No. 1. By 1918, horse-drawn fire wagons were totally phased out in favor of the engine-powered ones. Originally cast in 1886, the bell originally placed atop the structure in the bell tower was removed in 2001, restored and is now on display on the first floor of the station. By 2003, the aging facility received a facelift to repair and restore the original limestone mortar on the facade. Additionally, the former bell tower was completely restored and the station was completely operational again by December. Although officials stated that No. 1 would retain its status as a fully staffed fire station even with the completion of a replacement facility, the station stopped running fire and EMS calls on May 9, 2007. Today the facility houses a local furniture showroom, restaurant, and boutique hotel.Petska, Alicia. "Fire Station No. 1 has new calling Fire Station No. 1, downtown Roanoke historic landmark, has new calling." ''Roanoke Times, The (VA)'', September 24, 2022: 1A. ''NewsBank: America's News''. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/18CC03DF21A32CF0 .

References

External links

Historic Fire-EMS Station #1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire Station No. 01, Roanoke, Virginia Fire stations completed in 1907 Fire stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Defunct fire stations in Virginia Buildings and structures in Roanoke, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Roanoke, Virginia Georgian Revival architecture in Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia