Central Fire Station aka Station No. 1
N 43° 32.830 W 096° 43.866
14T E 683287 N 4824080
Made of quartzite stone, the Central Fire Station was built in 1912.
Waymark Code: WMMN0
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2006
Views: 16
Although Sioux Falls had a fire brigade and the men who staffed it were lauded, the destruction of the landmark Cataract Hotel in June 1900 shocked the town and made them realize they needed a full time fire station with highly trained full time firefighters. Within one month, the City Council created an eight man salaried fire department augmented by 15 "minute men" volunteers.
This fire fighting facility, the Central Fire Station, when built in 1912 was the only building in South Dakota to be used exclusively for fire purposes. The old 1885 fire alarm bell was installed in an 80 foot bell tower (today the bell sits in a place of honor in front of the fire station.) The tower was also used for the hanging and drying of hoses. The station had 11 horse stalls in the back with a hay loft on the second floor. When the fire alarm bell sounded the horses were trained to quickly trot to their places in front of the fire wagon where suspended harnesses were dropped on their backs and snapped in place. The horses were retired and replaced by motorized fire trucks in 1917.
Street address:
100 S. Minnesota Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD USA
57104
County / Borough / Parish: Minnehaha
Year listed: 1980
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Fire Station
Current function: Fire Station
Privately owned?: no
Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 8:00 AM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.