Omaha Firehouse 1903-1904
The Old Market Historic Walking Tour
In 1903, George Fisher and Harry Lawrie designed Fire Substation No. 1 in the then-popular Chateauesque style. The gabled third floor gave the building the look of a French chateau. On April 9, 1917, firefighters were sunning themselves out front when a bystander rushed to tell them that their building was on fire. The two-alarm fire destroyed the third floor, which housed the hayloft for the horse-drawn engines. The top of the building was removed, and it was remodeled with a new maintenance facility called a "fire shop." It continued to operate as a firehouse until lack of manpower during World War II forced it to close. In 1972, the building was reopened with applause as the Firehouse Dinner Theater, and live shows were staged there until 1991. In 1996, architect David Erickson converted the firehouse into a restaurant and microbrewery, the Upstream Brewing Co., with the original 1903 cornerstone as an interior showpiece. The patio on the east side of the building became home to a stone trough that once treated thirsty horses and dogs at Capitol Avenue and 17th Streets.
Marker is on 11th Street near Jackson Street, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
