| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office.
CNR TOWER W/BRACKETED PYRAMIDAL ROOF AND IRON BALCONY. SEGMENTAL ARCH WINDOWS. ROUND ARCH FIRE ENGINE ENTRY.
The first masonry fire station built on Racine's north side, this engine house was called "one of southeastern Wisconsin's finest remaining late Victorian fire stations" by architectural historian H. Russell Zimmerman. The two-story, gabled-roof structure has a four-story hose drying and observation tower on its northwest corner. And, after serving as a firehouse, it housed area businesses including Hurley-Stuebe Printing and Greene Glass. Current owner Wayne LaFrania purchased it in 1984 for use as a personal residence.
"Fire protection for the Northside was housed in this handsome building from 1888 to 1926. It replaced earlier fire company quarters adjoining the Janes Schoolyard. The Board of Education was pleased to see the new station in a different location, as the drinking and social habits of the firemen were thought to set a poor example for the children.
City Engineer W. F. Goodhue designed the two-story High Victorian Italianate-style structure. Built of hand-made brick, it rests upon a dressed, yellow limestone foundation. The four-story tower, rising high above the surrounding rooftops, served as an observation tower and as a place to stretch hoses for drying. Cast-iron railings, corbelled brickwork, and paired wooden brackets ornament the tower.
A broad Roman arch forms the engine door. Horses, trained to be harnessed quickly and to dash through that door, were stabled behind the building.
Firefighting methods and equipment have changed greatly, and so have the uses to which this building has been put in recent years. Once the Hurley-Steube Printing Company, the building is now occupied by Greene Glass Service." Renewing Our Roots: The Northside, Racine, Wisconsin, Preservation-Racine, Inc., not dated. |
|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Sampling History: Preservation Racine's Tour of Historic Places, 2012.
Renewing Our Roots: The Northside, Racine, Wisconsin, Preservation-Racine, Inc., not dated.
Robert D. Long for the City of Racine Landmarks Commission, Racine's Historic Firehouses, 1982. |
|---|
