Documenting Change since 2002

Pawtucket Fire Station no. 2

also known as Leon Mathieu Senior Center

An early 1900s fire station converted to a senior center in the 1980s and in constant use ever since

images of this Property

  • A three story, square red brick fire station with rusticated stone first-floor facing around three large garage doors for fire apparatus. A four and a half story square tower is attached to the east wall and is topped with a four-side pyramid roof.
    Pawtucket Library Digital Collection on Flickr
  • Pawtucket Library Digital Collection on Flickr

9 images: Press to view larger or scroll sideways to see more. Contributions from the Pawtucket Library Digital Collection on Flickr (postcard, photo)

About this Property

Redevelopment

This handsome station was retired in the 1970s, no doubt around the time that fire fighting was once again modernizing into larger, more centrally-located stations, rather than the series of smaller neighborhood stations. In 1978 it was used as a fire equipment repair shop. By 1981, it was converted to a senior citizens activity center and continues to be owned by the City of Pawtucket.

Other research specifically about the history of the Pawtucket Fire Department has not been found. Please let us know if you have located some.

Current Events

This fire station was repurposed into the Leon Mathieu Senior Center in 1981. 2011 was its 30th anniversary (see In the News), so that was now more than 40 years ago.

History

Not much formal history has been found yet. To the best of our understanding, this station replaced an older station across the street on the corner of Bayley and Main. It’s larger ground floor entrances could accommodate modern fire equipment.

The Sanborn Maps we have access to — from 1890, 1902 — do now show this station until a 1923 map (PPL card required). The station was built between 1905 and 1906 and the Romanesque Revival style confirms that. The City Tax Assessor’s database gives the building a generic build date of 1900, but the excerpt below cites the more specific date.

From the RIHPHC’s Statewide Historical Preservation Report of Pawtucket, P-PA-2, 1978

Old Fire Station Number Two (1905-1906) Albert H. Humes, architect. 3-story, flat-roofed, brick and granite firehouse with stair tower on east side. A handsome façade; interior simply detailed and largely original but in poor condition. Now used as a fire department repair shop.

In the News

Cicilline Honors Pawtucket’s Leon Mathieu Senior Center

November 2, 2011

U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) marked the 30th anniversary of the Leon Mathieu Senior Center on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I am so grateful for the services the Leon Mathieu Senior Center provides,” Congressman Cicilline said. “By providing seniors with a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment, the Leon Mathieu Senior Center ensures our seniors receive the security and comfort they deserve in their later years.”

As a nationally accredited senior center, the Leon Mathieu Senior Center provides healthcare services, skills training, medical care, and community events and activities to all interested seniors in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In addition to senior services, Leon Mathieu also advocates on behalf of seniors, providing an indispensable service to the greater Rhode Island community. […]

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Captured on March 26, 2022 from https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/cicilline-honors-pawtuckets-leon-mathieu-senior-center