Des Moines Fire Department – Des Moines IA

Description

"This is a modern fire station which includes not only all the necessary facilities for the fighting but also provisions for training, recreation, housing of personnel, and maintenance of all equipment. The building is located in the business district of the city at the intersection of two important streets which are not, however, arteries of excessive traffic. In addition to the building illustrated, the project includes a shop building and a drill tower.

The headquarters building is rectangular in plan, 128 by 117 feet. The apparatus room provides space for five units of rolling stock besides space for cars for the chief and assistant chief. The signal room is completely protected by a fire stop. A large storage room and the captain's office are also on the ground floor. On the second floor are a dormitory, dining room, kitchen, rooms for recreation and instruction, and a handball court, as well as living quarters and an office for the chief and his staff. A hose tower is an integral unit in the building, of sufficient height to accommodate standard lengths of hose.

The building is fireproof, with exterior walls of brick trimmed with stone and some terra cotta. It was completed in January 1938 at a construction cost of $260,778 and a project cost of $281,700."