Fire Station Hose number 2
A very early fire station was repurposed as commercial space and a twin building was built next door
images of this Property
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Caption in collection reads: “Station No 2 — Corner of Main & Commerce — c 1895” — Pawtucket Library Digital Collection (Flickr) -
Image from a print publication, label visible reads: “Fire Station No. 2, Corner of Main & Bayley Streets” — Pawtucket Library Digital Collection (Flickr) -
Caption in collection reads: “Station No 2 — Corner Bayley & Main St — Converted to Salvation Army 1920-21 — 1919” — Pawtucket Library Digital Collection (Flickr) -
Caption in collection reads: “Streets — Main St — #393 — Dec 1984 001” — Pawtucket Library Digital Collection (Flickr) -
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1884 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 6 -
1902 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 6
11 images: Press to view larger or scroll sideways to see more. Contributions from the Pawtucket Library Digital Collection (Flickr) and the Library of Congress
About this Property
Redevelopment
This is a lovely building that we liked very much even before we figured out that one half of it used to be a fire station. Pawtucket historian Elizabeth (Betty) J. Johnson places the build date at 1861. The station appears on maps as early as 1884.
Our theory is that this early station was decommissioned by 1905. This station was known as Hose Number 2. Across the street, a newer station was built in 1905, also known as Number 2. The 1861 station was likely taken out of service at that time, which explains the caption in the 1919 photo declaring it the location of a Salvation Army by 1921.
Alterations
The original fire station gable-end façade contained a first floor of a central rectangular window flanked on either side by narrow, round-topped windows almost equidistant from the building edge and the central window. In the center of the second floor is a set of three round-topped windows, where the center window is a little more than twice the width of the narrow windows flanking it. In the top of the gable end is a round oculus window. A bell tower topped the gable roof set near the southern façade. Along the west wall were three double-wide doors with arched tops and one person-sized door along the first floor. Along the second floor were four rectangular windows equally spaced apart.
According to Betty Johnson, the station was expanded with a “twin” building to the east in the 1920s for the Salvation Army. Over time, its bell tower was removed and the window and door configuration changed. The west wall is now a series of windows instead of large doors and an extra 2-story brick bay was added to the north side. The southern façade has large commercial-grade windows on the first floor. Two windows were added on the second floor flanking the central three-window set. And the oculus window was replaced with a gable vent. Original sills that remain are granite, while the replacement sills are cast concrete.
A building to the east is connected with a flat roof, flat cornice trapezoidal building in between. The twin building maintains the same size and gable slope, same second-floor window configuration, and the same dentil cornice detail. While the original fire station has a round oculus in its gable end, the newer building has two small windows. The twin is set five steps lower than the original fire station as the land slopes slightly down from west to east.
Current Events
The former fire station is now a commercial rental.
History
No formal history found yet. Not listed as part of the adjacent Church Hill Historic District.
Maps
- 1877 Bird’s Eye view of Pawtucket and Central Fall — Difficult to spot, but in in the center left is the Church Hill Industrial District, and this fire station can be seen on the corner of Main and Bailey.
- 1880 G.M. Hopkins, Atlas of the Town of Pawtucket, RI, Plate O — In the upper right of the map is a small “Fire Station” is on the corner of Bailey and Main Streets.
- 1890 Sanborn Insurance Map, Volume 1, Plate 17 (page 17) — Map reads “Fire Engine House” at the corner of Commerce and Main Streets where they meet Park Place. Shown in pink/red, indicating brick, with a 2-story rear addition of wood. The east side has been expanded and now the block to the east is very dense.
- 1902 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 6 (page 10) — Same as the 1890 map.
- 1923 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 7 (Flickr) — Building is labelled as “Salvation Army Hall.” There is a 2-story addition to the east. Part of the Pawtucket Library collection.
- 1937–1949 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 7 (Flickr) — Unchanged from 1923. Part of the Pawtucket Library collection.
- 1923–1962 Sanborn Map, City of Pawtucket, Volume 1, Plate 7 (Flickr) — Unchanged from 1923. The 2-story addition to the east is red/pink to denote brick. The rear addition is brick as well. This map does not match the current building configuration, so the “twin” has not yet been added to the east. Part of the Pawtucket Library collection.