About Quizzes

Fire Station No. 25

Fire Station No. 25, located just east of The Phillips House in Seattle, Washington, whispers to visitors from the mists of an bygone era, reminding them of fire stations and fire equipment designed around the necessities of horse-drawn fire wagons. It was built between 1908 and 1909, and opened in 1909. It had room for a blacksmith shop, a horse ramp from the alley into the building, and three stalls for horses. As Fire Station No. 25 adapted to changing times, it also became home to the city's first piece of equipment powered by an internal combustion engine. World War I marked the end of horse-drawn wagons, and modifications allowed the station to adapt to the new requirements of contemporary fire equipment. By 1970, the station was no longer adequate for the size and complexity of modern equipment. Historic Seattle, the city's official preservation and development authority, purchased, then sold the building as surplus, with protective covenants, to a developer in 1979. Fire Station No. 25 was then divided into 16 luxury rental apartments. Fire Station No. 25 was the first brick firehouse built in the Seattle area. It features the arched windows and doorways characteristic of the Arts and Crafts style. Today, it offers one of few remaining examples of early-20th-century fire stations in the Pacific Northwest, and serves as a reminder of how older buildings can find productive new uses.