Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 1 was built in 1941. The Streamline Moderne station located at 2230 Pasadena Avenue replaced an older station, 3 blocks west of its current location. Built in 1887, the original station was the city of Los Angeles' first professional, full-time fire station. The former station's plot of land at Pasadena Ave & North Avenue 19 now houses the LAFD's supply and maintenance yard.[1]
| LAFD Fire Station No. 1 | |
|---|---|
 LAFD Station 1 in 2009 | |
| Location | 2230 Pasadena Ave., Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°4′31″N 118°13′06″W / 34.07528°N 118.21833°W |
| Built | March 6, 1941 |
| Architect | P. K. Schabarum Charles O. Brittain |
| Architectural style(s) | Streamline Moderne |
| Owner | Los Angeles Fire Department |
| Designated | July 7, 1976 |
| Reference no. | 156 |
  Location of LAFD Fire Station No. 1 in the Los Angeles metropolitan area  Fire Station No. 1 (Los Angeles, California) (California)  Fire Station No. 1 (Los Angeles, California) (the United States) | |
Built under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, the new 6,534 sq ft station was built at a cost of $65,000.00 USD, with the city of Los Angeles responsible for $29,000.00 USD. P. K. Schabarum and Charles O. Brittain of the Los Angeles City Department of Construction were responsible for the station's design.[2]
When the new station opened on March 6, 1941, the two-story, reinforced concrete structure housed Engine Company No. 1 and Truck Company No. 1, as well as serving as the headquarters for Battalion Chief 2.[3]
The station was listed as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #156 on July 7, 1976.[4]
Engine Company No 1
editPrior to the establishment of the Los Angeles Fire Department, fires were fought by volunteer organizations established by various neighborhood groups.[5]
One of the largest and most popular groups was The Original Thirty Eights, who held their own fund-raising events, and their activities were considered to be major civic events in the city.[5]
In December 1885, the LA City Council passed Ordinance No. 205, establishing the Los Angeles Fire Department, and authorized the construction of 4 new fire stations. When Ordinance 205 went into effect in 1886, 31 volunteer firefighters from 4 existing volunteer companies became LA's first professional firemen, including members of the 38s, then based at Plaza Station in the historical Los Angeles Plaza.[5]
The 38s would disband and become LAFD's Engine Company Number 1, moving into Fire Station No 1 across the river at 1901 Pasadena Avenue in 1888. From 1899 to 1909, the LAPD also used part of the property as a jail prior to the construction of Lincoln Heights Jail, built up the street from Station No 1 in 1927. 1913 saw the transition from horse drawn apparatus to LAFD's first motorized apparatus, a Gorham Seagrave Auto-Pumper. By 1929, the old station had outlived its usefulness and City Council sought funding to build a new modern station, but with the Great Depression in full swing, couldn't justify the expense of new construction until 1940.[2]
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Station No. 1 in 1900 -
The new Station No. 1 in 1946
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "History of LAFD". Los Angeles Fire Department.
- ^ a b "Fire Station 1 Photo Gallery". Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Archive.
- ^ Gilmore, James (15 March 1941). "New Quarters For Engine 1". The Grape Vine. Firemen's Relief Association Inc.
- ^ "Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List" (PDF). Los Angeles City Planning.
- ^ a b c "The Origins of the LAFD". Los Angeles Fire Department.