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From the volunteer fire companies of the late 1800s to the fully-paid fire department started on June 1, 1926, the history of firefighting in Greensboro is on display throughout the city.
Eight old engine houses include downtown's
Central Station, College Hill's West End
Hose Company buildings, and a
soon-to-be-moved fire station on South
Elm-Eugene Street.
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Old Central Fire Station
318 N. Greene Street
Built 1926 / Closed 1980
Presently part of a hotel complex
Originally home to four fire
companies, downtown's Central Fire
Station opened on May 15, 1926.
The two-story structure replaced
the original Central Station at
108 West Gaston Street.
One of the features of the new station was a Gamewell alarm and recording system connected to the city's 40-plus alarm boxes, and which
silenced the fire bell at the old West Gaston Street location.
The new station also housed a garage, and
was equipped with a training
tower. Both were supplant in October 1956, when a Training and Maintenance Center opened at 1512 North Church Street.
Both Central Station and Station 3 closed in 1980, when a new Station 1 opened at 1514 North Church Street. Engine 3 became Engine 1, responding north; Engine 2, from Central Station, responded south.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Old Station 3
2315 Yanceyville Street
Built circa 1947 / Closed 1980
Presently child-care center
Built with funds from a bond issue approved in 1947,
Greensboro Fire Station 3 opened
at 2313 Vine Street, now named Yanceyville Street.
The single-story station first housed a pair of American LaFrance pumpers, a 1948 and a 1932 reserve.
Station 3 protected Mill Village, a large residential area that included the Cones Mills' plants.
In 1980, the station closed and Engine 3 was relocated to a new Station 1 at 1514 N. Church Street. A new Station 3 opened in 2001 at 4854 Lake Jeanette Road.
The 4,144 square-foot facility
is presently used as a child-care
center.
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Old Station 4
414 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Built 1904-05,/ Closed 1960
Presently community development center
Between 1904 and 1905, the
volunteer Southside Hose Company
relocated to 414 Asheboro Street,
now named Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard. The building that
became Greensboro Fire Station 4
originally housed a horse-drawn
hose wagon.
In 1964, Engine 4 was relocated to 401 Gorrell Street. The new station housed Greensboro's first African-American firefighters until the department integrated in November 1967.
The 3,552 square-foot structure
was subsequently rented for use as
a radio repair shop. It later
housed a graphics arts business.
Completely remodeled inside, the
old station presently serves as
community development center.
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Old Station 5
549 South Mendenhall Street
Built circa 1897 / Closed 1919
Presently grocery store
Greensboro's volunteer West End
Hose Company originally occupied 547 South Mendenhall Street, now numbered 549 South Mendenhall.
The 2,670 square-foot two-story
station originally housed a
horse-drawn hose wagon.
Located in College Hill, the
historic engine house presently
serves as a grocery store.
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Old Station 5
442 South Mendenhall Street
Built 1919 / Closed 1964
Presently residenceIn 1919, Greensboro Fire Station 5 was relocated one block north to a
smaller, single-story station at 442 South Mendenhall Street.
The 2,941 square-foot,
bungalow-style building first housed a motorized engine built by the White Truck Company.
In 1964, Engine 5 relocated to
1618 West Friendly Avenue. The old
station presently serves as a
residence.
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Old Station 5
1816 West Friendly Avenue
Built 1964 / Closed 1992
Presently commercial space
Greensboro Fire Station 5 opened
at its third location at 1618 West
Friendly Avenue in 1964.
The single-story station first
housed a
1955 American LaFrance pumper, a 1964 American LaFrance aerial ladder, a rescue unit, and a chief's car.
In 1992, Station 5 was relocated one mile north to 1401 Westover Terrace, the site of Old Station 6, which was closed in 1989.
The 3,201 square-foot building
remained empty until 1994 when
purchased for commercial use.
Present tenants include
a beauty parlor.
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Old Station 8
1735 West Lee Street
Built 1925-26 / Closed 1970
Presently empty
Also known as the West Lee Street Station,
Greensboro Fire Station 8 first
housed a refurbished 1915 American
LaFrance pumper.
In 1970, the single-story station
was closed and Engine 8 was relocated to its new quarters at 2201 Chapman Street, later renamed Coliseum Boulevard.
The 3,282 square-foot,
single-bay building is presently
empty.
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Fire Station 11
2606 South Elm-Eugene Street
Built 1960 / Closing 2005
Presently fire station
Engine 11, Quint 11, and North Carolina Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team 5 are poised to move across the street to a nearly completed municipal facility at 2602 South Elm-Eugene Street.
The $9.6 million complex, scheduled to open in January, will house the Water Resources Operations Center, a police substation, and a four-bay fire station.
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Other Early Fire Stations
Courtesy
Richard Page.
Courtesy
Greensboro History Museum
Two modern-era
fire stations are no
longer standing.
Old Station 6
(top) was built in
1948 on Westover
Terrace. It was
closed in 1989 and
subsequently
demolished. The
present Station 6,
formerly numbered
Station 17, is
located at 4504 Lake
Brandt Road.
Old Station 7 (bottom), also known as the Northside Fire Station, was built in 1924 at the corner of Church Street and Bessemer Avenue. Closed in 1957, the building became a Civil Defense office until
it was later demolished when Church Street was widened. The present Station 7 is located at 1064 Gatewood Avenue.
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