Owatonna City and Firemen's Hall
Owatonna Firemen's Hall | |
---|---|
Firemen's Hall with garage | |
Former names | Owatonna City and Firemen's Hall |
General information | |
Status | Fire Station |
Architectural style | Romanesque |
Location | Owatonna, MN |
Address | 107 W Main St |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 44°05′01″N 93°13′35″W |
Construction started | 1906 |
Opened | October 5, 1907 |
Renovated | 1996 |
Cost | $19,643.00. |
Owner | City of Owatonna |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 3 |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Keefe, William F., Hammel Brothers and Anderson |
Main contractor | Hammel and Anderson |
To save lives and property in a safe and efficient manner | |
Agency overview | |
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Established | 1875 |
Fire chief | Mike Johnson |
Facilities and equipment | |
Stations | 1 |
Engines | 4 |
Trucks | 5 |
Ladders | 1 |
Tenders | 2 |
Website | |
http://www.ci.owatonna.mn.us/fire/ |
The Owatonna Firemen's Hall, formally known as the Owatonna City and Firemen's Hall, is a historic building in downtown Owatonna, Minnesota. Built in 1906, it serves as the headquarters for the Owatonna Fire Department and formerly included, City government offices until 1974, when the city purchased the old State School campus from the state of Minnesota and moved government offices to the site.[1] The Firemen's Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 31, 1997 (#97000019).[2]
History
In September 1903 the firemen bought two lots, 44 feet wide by 132 feet long, west of the Metropolitan Opera House (later the Roxy Theatre) for $3,126.00. On September 19, 1905, a special election was held to gauge support from Owatonna residents for a $15,000.00 bond for the construction of a new city hall / fire station. The bond was passed. On July 17, 1906, the construction firm Hammel and Anderson, with a bid of $19,643.00, was awarded the contract for construction of the fire hall. On August 17 the two lots were donated to the city by the firemen for construction of a combination city hall and fire hall on the condition that the city would spend not less than $15,000.00 for construction of a three-story building. The firemen contributed $1,000.00 towards capital costs and obtained a 25-year lease. The cornerstone was laid on September 8, 1906. An opening ceremony was held on October 5, 1907 and the equipment was transferred to the new site, the same year, on November 5. The team used horse-drawn equipment until 1915, when the first motorized vehicle, a 1915 Jeffery, was purchased.[1]
The city vacated their portion of the building in 1974, moving to the new West Hills campus. A truck bay was built where the old Roxy Theatre stood, which was demolished in the 1950s, along with other improvements to the building, done in the 1996 renovation. An elevator was installed and the third floor remodeled in 2008.[1]
In February 2016 the City of Owatonna purchased two lots for $184,000 on the corner 26th Street and Kenyon Road/24th Avenue NE in northeastern Owatonna, for the future development of a fire sub-station. The northern section of Owatonna is about 1.5 miles from the current Firemen's Hall, which has led to longer response times. The City wants to wait for further development before any building is done. The time before any building occurs is estimated at 10 years.[3]
Historic fire department equipment
Property on hand, according to the 1904 Fire Chief’s annual report:
- 3 Hose carts
- 1 Hook and ladder
- 2,300 feet of good hose
- 200 feet of poor hose
- 1 – 48’ extension ladder
- 1 – 30’ extension ladder
- 2 – 18’ ladders
- 2 – 16’ ladders
- 1 – 14’ roof ladder
- 1 – 14’ roof ladder
- 2 gopher hose leak stops
- 7 pike poles
- 5 nozzles
- 1 spray nozzle
- 3 axes
- 4 smoke arrestors
- 30 rubber coats
- 5 torches (lights)
- 20 rubber cafés (buckets)[1]
1960s – Trucks owned by OFD:
- 1925 Seagrave 750gpm
- 1930 Seagrave 500gpm. Sold in 1965
- 1948 Ward La France 1000 gpm. Bought used from St. Paul Fire Department, the truck was stretched and the ladder was added
- 1949 FWD 500gpm, owned by the Rural Fire Association
- 1953 Chevy tanker, owned by the Rural Fire Association
- 1956 Pirsh 1000gpm.
- 1964 Mack 1000gpm.[1]
Fire department chiefs
- 1875 – 1879: M. R. Srong
- 1879 – 1884: H. Randal
- 1884 – 1885: S. S. Green
- 1886 – 1887: E. M. Twiford
- 1888 – 1892: C. E. Luce
- 1892 – 1895: F. G. Schuman
- 1895 – 1898: E. M. Twiford
- 1899 – 1900: O. Wood
- 1901 – 1919: E. M. Twiford
- 1919 – 1927: F. G. Schuman
- 1927 – 1933: Andrew Erdman
- 1933 – 1942: A. C. Smith
- 1942 – 1972: Ed Slazak
- 1972 – 1987: Frank Anderson
- 1987 – 1988: Paul Illg
- 1988 – 2001: Jerry Rosenthal
- 2001 – Present: Mike Johnson[1]
Other uses
The Owatonna Firemen's Hall is also the headquarters for Steele County Skywarn. A non-profit organization, Skywarn is apart of the Steele County Emergency Management. It uses the third floor for meetings and another room in the building as a nerve center, to communicate with spotters out in the field, monitor weather conditions in and around Owatonna, and make reports to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 www.voyageurweb.com, VoyageurWeb,. "About the Owatonna Fire Department | City of Owatonna". ci.owatonna.mn.us. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
- ↑ "AssetDetail". focus.nps.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
- ↑ [email protected], WILLIAM MORRIS. "City spends $184,000 for proposed fire station site". Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- ↑ "Steele County SKYWARN Home Page". steelecountyskywarn.org. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- Owatonna Fire Department: About page. History of OFD, provided courtesy of Leon Ellis, retired full-time OFD firefighter. http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/fire/about-owatonna-fire-department and http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/sites/default/files/documents/Owatonna_Fire_Department_History.pdf retrieved July 8, 2016
- National Park Service Owatonna Firemen's Hall Historical registry. Retrieved July 8, 2016
- Owatonna City and Firemen's Hall, Owatonna People's Press article Feb 6, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016
- Steele County Skywarn Homepage. Retrieved July 9, 2016
External links
- Official Website Owatonna Fire Department
- Steele County Historical Society Firemen's Hall photo archives
- Fire Department Reports and Statistics
- Owatonna Fire Department Facebook page
- Steele County coverage map