| Address | 5349 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1927-28 |
| Architect | Charles W. Kallal |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | October 1, 2003 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 8591 |
| Neighborhood | Washington Park |
| Type | Firehouse |
| Landmark ID | L-234 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“Featuring unique stylistic details making it one of the most handsome and distinctive in the city, the Romanesque Revival-style firehouse at 1401 S. Michigan Avenue that once housed Engine Company 104, built in 1905 in the Near South Side community, was designed as part of this "clean and comfortable" movement.”
“Engine Company 21, once located at 1213 S. Plymouth Court (demolished), was the first firehouse to have a sliding pole installed not only in Chicago, but in the nation.”
“ENGINE COMPANY 61 5349 S. Wabash Avenue The elaborately detailed firehouse was the first of the Grand Firehouses constructed with funds from the Fire Department Rehabilitation and Improvement Bond Fund authorized on March 18, 1926.”
“A new firehouse designed for a steam engine and horses, the first such firehouse in Chicago, was built in 1858 for Engine 1 at 19 N. LaSalle Street (demolished).”
“The firehouses were designed by noted Chicago architect Alfred S. Alschuler and City Architects Charles F. Hermann, William Carbys Zimmerman, Charles W. Kallal, Argyle E. Robinson and Paul Gerhardt, Jr., and are significant for their overall quality of design and rarity as some of the best and most important examples in the city.”
“Engine 1. Its company was staffed by some of the first members of the paid fire department and included an engineer to maintain the rig, an officer and crew to operate its hoses, and a driver and horses.”
“(former) Engine Company 104, Truck 31 at 1401 S. Michigan Avenue. It complements the style of the adjacent waterworks and is a rare (and late) example of the Victorian Gothic style applied to a public building.”
“This change resulted in departments that were prepared to answer a fire alarm more quickly and with significantly more power than ever thought possible. This monumental undertaking began during the tenure of Charles Seyferlich, who served Fire Marshal from 1910 to 1914.”
“The sliding pole was an ingenious device, whose development is credited to Captain David Kenyon of Engine 21, that allowed for speedy access from the sleeping room to the apparatus floor.”
“This handsome two-story, yellow brick firehouse with Romanesque-style details is situated on the southeast corner of 14th Street and Michigan Avenue. The building's street facades are clad with smooth gray limestone on the lower half of the first floor, while pale yellow brick is used above.”
“The building's personnel entrance is located on the south-facing side elevation and is ornamented in the same manner as the first floor limestone window surrounds facing Wabash. A one-story wing on the north side of the building is set back from the main elevation.”