Engine House No. 5 (Columbus, Ohio)

Engine House No. 5 is a former Columbus Fire Department station in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The building was constructed in 1894, designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by John Flynn. The station was decommissioned in 1968. From 1974 to 2002, the space was used for a restaurant and bar, also known as Engine House No. 5. In 2004, the building was converted for office use, and today is the Columbus branch of Big Red Rooster, a marketing company.

Engine House No. 5
Interactive map highlighting the building's location
Location121 Thurman Avenue, Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates39.9395°N 82.9929°W / 39.9395; -82.9929
Built1894
ArchitectJohn Flynn
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
Part ofGerman Village (ID74001490[1])

The station is one of two remaining Columbus fire stations designed by Flynn, and one of seven 1890s fire stations remaining in the city. It is a contributing part of the German Village Historic District, listed as a Columbus city historic district in 1960 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Attributes
Thurman Avenue elevation

The firehouse was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by John Flynn. It primarily utilizes brick and stone, with a heavy rusticated stone base, large segmental-arched windows, and rusticated stone surrounds. The upper floor of the main facade features a row of thin round-arched windows separated by stone columns, while the former firehouse doorways on the lower floor are now filled with bay windows. The engine house's hose tower still stands, though shortened to three stories.[2]

The fire station was built to house eight firefighters, four horses, a steam engine, and a hose wagon.[3] This included stalls for horses as well as a hayloft for storing fodder.[4] During its operation as a restaurant, the main dining room was located in the former fire engine space. The space was painted peach and muted green; its walls were tastefully decorated with fire memorabilia, largely from the Central Ohio Fire Museum.[4]

Interior decor today includes contemporary office furniture, original fixtures (including a clock, egg-shaped pendant lamps, and slate floors), as well as several pieces on loan from the Central Ohio Fire Museum, including a red emergency call box. The building still holds its original fire pole.[5]

History
The station c. 1894
Map of the fire station being built, 1891

Engine House No. 5 was constructed in 1894 to serve as a fire station for the South End, at a time when fire engines were horse-drawn.[6] The station was designed by John Flynn and cost $15,000.[3] It was constructed at a time when fire stations were needed every few blocks. With modernized equipment by the late 1960s, a new fire station was constructed in the area, and so this station was decommissioned in 1968.[7]

The station was listed as a contributing part of the German Village Historic District, a Columbus city historic district, in 1960. It was added to the German Village district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The building was slated for demolition in 1973, when restaurateur Chuck Muer purchased the building at auction and renovated it at a cost of about $1 million.[6] He opened a seafood restaurant there in 1974, also called Engine House No. 5.[4] The restaurant was quirky, known for its waiters who would surprise guests celebrating their birthday by sliding down its firepole while holding a cake with candles.[8] It also maintained a reputation for quality fresh seafood.[4] Muer's operations also included a bar in the basement of the building called "The Spot", a casual bar known for its strawberry shortcake. The restaurant operated until 2002 even after Muer and his wife disappeared while sailing through a storm in 1993.[7] In 2002, it was purchased by Landry's, a large restaurant group. The group operated the restaurant for two months before permanently closing it.[9]

A renovation in 2004 turned the interior into office space.[7] It is now occupied by a branch of the marketing company Big Red Rooster.[3] The company was founded in 2002 in another historic building in Columbus, a Victorian house, and quickly outgrew its space there. In 2011, Big Red Rooster acquired three local marketing companies, and expanded its office space into a new space called "The Coop".[5]

Status
Flynn's Engine House No. 6

The station is one of about twelve built or reconstructed in the city in the 1880s to 1890s. Of these, seven remain, though in various conditions. The other remaining stations in Columbus are:[10]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Darbee, Jeffrey T.; Recchie, Nancy A. (2008). The AIA Guide to Columbus. Ohio University Press. p. 252--253. ISBN 9780821416846.
  3. "Thurman Avenue property is an example of 'adaptive reuse'". ThisWeek. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  4. Nunley, Debbie; Elliott, Karen Jane (2001). A taste of Ohio history : A guide to historic eateries and their recipes. ISBN 9780895872456.
  5. "At Work: Big Red Rooster fills Engine House No. 5". 16 April 2012.
  6. Clark, John M. (2015). German Village Stories Behind the Bricks. The History Press. pp. 151–153. ISBN 9781467117760. OCLC 907885358.
  7. Darbee, Jeff. "City Quotient: The Legacy of AmeriFlora". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  8. "WHAT'S DOING IN COLUMBUS". The New York Times. 1981-03-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  9. "Fire hazard, 1979".
  10. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Engine House No. 6". National Park Service. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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