Niagara Engine Company #5

Constructed: 1867
PPS Ten Most: 1998
Building Type: Institutional/Civic
Trend:

Completed in 1867, this firehouse is one of the earliest structures built during the City’s municipal improvement campaign following the Civil War. At the time, the house was one of four new engine houses built to accommodate new, steam-powered engines. John W. Briggs was the mason and carpenter in charge of this structure, which cost $12,000 to erect.

The Niagara Engine Company Firehouse is a two-story, brick, stone-trimmed, Victorian Gothic station. This architecturally impressive building boasts a slate, deck-on-hip roof, bracketed cornice, radiating dichromatic voussoirs, and rope-mold corner detailing. On the north side of the structure stands a three-story hose drying tower, also built of brick and topped by stone and brick corbels. Beneath the building sits a cistern of 50,000 gallon capacity.

In 1950, the City converted the building to commercial use, and in the 1960s, a modern storefront was added to the first story. Above the cast-stone lintel which separates the store front from the upper register, a Gothic arch marks the location of the original first floor entrance.

At the time of its 1998 listing, the station had long stood empty and in disrepair, vulnerable to both vandalism and arson. Its location at the busy intersection of North Main Street and Doyle Avenue made the building a viable candidate for adaptive reuse. PPS included the building on its list in hopes of attracting a new owner committed to the preservation of this historic structure.

SAVED: A progressive new owner who saw its potential and converted the building into a successful retail space purchased The Niagara Engine Company, #5 Fire Station. The current owner took special care to maintain much of the architectural character of the building. Although alterations were required to accommodate the building’s new use, they were made to match the overall scale and materials of the old firehouse and do not appear out of character.



Return to the 1998 Most Endangered Properties List