Stylish Stations

How a building looks depends a lot on its architecture.   Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings.   Your house was designed by an architect who planned what they wanted the building to look like and then figured out how to build it.   They had to decide what materials to use, how those materials would fit together, and what decorations the building would have.   Architects also think about style when they design a building.   The decisions architects make depend a lot on their style.

In the same way that you have a clothing style that is distinct from your parents, siblings and friends, architects have distinctive architectural styles.  One architect might always build with brick while another might mix materials.  Another architect might like to design buildings with lots of large windows, while another might not include any at all.  The materials available to architects and builders also influence style.  Three hundred years ago, architects did not have steel, so they built with wood or stone, or made bricks out of natural resources like mud and clay.  Today, builders can use metal made in factories and cement mixed using natural components.   Because architects have been designing buildings for hundreds of years with many different materials, there are many distinct styles.  Sometimes, architects who are the same age and from the same generation have similar styles.  These styles are often grouped together and given a name, depending on the characteristics of that style.   This name identifies the architectural style.

Explore these three stations to determine which styles they represent.

•  Fire Station 11

•  Fire Station 14

•  Old Station 18

Fire Station 11

      Photo Credit: Denver Firefighter's Museum

Fire Station 11 was built in 1937 as a project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).  President Theodore Roosevelt created the WPA during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when many Americans were unable to find work.  The building’s style is called Art Deco.  

The Art Deco Style became popular in the United States after 1925.  At the time, it was considered extremely modern.  In fact, when it was created in Europe architects did not allow themselves to incorporate any architectural element of the past in their new modern designs.  Art Deco buildings usually have elements that seem to run vertically, rather than horizontally.  On Fire Station 11 you can see this along the top of the building, where there are arrow-like shapes that point towards the sky.

Part of the reason Art Deco buildings were popular in the 1930s was that they were so highly decorated.  The decorations provided excitement and cheer during years that were difficult for many American families.  This historical context, meaning the events of the time period, help explain why Fire Station 11 was built in a different style than most the homes in the Baker Neighborhood.

Fire Station 11 still operates as a fire station and serves the Baker Neighborhood, which is one of Denver ’s earliest residential areas outside downtown.  Most the houses in the neighborhood are a simple Craftsman/Bungalow style, with a number of Queen Anne style homes as well.  Fire Station 11 is the only fire station in the city designed in the Art Deco style, although a close neighbor, the Mayan Theatre, is also an Art Deco building.  The Baker Neighborhood is designated as a local historic district, which provides protection for the many historic buildings located there.  Fire Station 11 is not only part of the historic district, but is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fire Station 14

Fire Station 14 was also built during the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. Unlike Fire Station 11, Fire Station 14 was designed to fit in with its surroundings.   During the 1930s, the neighborhoods around Fire Station 14, primarily Montclair and Park Hill, were a combination of operating farms and clusters of houses.   In fact, the area still had enough farms in the 1930s that one day a visitor came to station 14 looking for the fire fighters but could not find them because they were out helping a neighbor plow his field!

Today, Fire Station 14 is surrounded by houses. Many of those houses reflect the same Tudor style of the station. The most easily identified detail of a Tudor building is the use of large wooden beams with stucco between each one.  This detail is often referred to as half-timbering. 

Old Station 18

  Photo Credit: Denver Firefighter's Museum

Old Station 18 is located on the eastern edge of Denver ’s City Park and is smaller than many other fire stations.   Old Station 18 is one of the older fire stations in Denver , as it was built in 1912. Like Fire Station 14, Old Station 18 is a combination of architectural styles.  The basic design of the firehouse is the Craftsman/Bungalow style, while some of the details reflect the Colonial Revival style.

The Craftsman/Bungalow style was popular during the first years of the twentieth century, from about 1905 to 1930.  Craftsman/Bungalow style buildings typically have wide eaves with exposed rafters, decorative braces, and columns.  They also sometimes have gabled dormers.

The Colonial Revival style is called “revival” because it is intended to resemble the buildings built during the years America was a colony of England.  Colonial Revival buildings also typically have columns and dormers, as well as gabled roofs. Colonial Revival buildings are always built with red brick.

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A Permanent City                                                                                    Retired & Reused

FIRE! Table of Contents

Introduction

FIRE! Passport:
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Fires in the West

Stopping the Flames

The Denver Fire

Department

A Permanent City

Stylish Stations

Retired & Reused

Old vs. New

Telling Stories

Conclusion

Fire Glossary

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