Houston Fire Museum completes $5.7M restoration

The long-awaited return of the Houston Fire Museum is right around the corner.

Why it matters: The 1899 fire station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been closed since 2020 to undergo a $5.7 million restoration.

Driving the news: The museum is hosting a grand opening Saturday after years of work.

• The effort was solely funded by donations from the community. The museum is selling commemorative bricks that will be laid outside the station to help close a final funding gap.

Flashback: Before Station 7 was built, Houston was dotted with former volunteer fire stations that were incorporated into the city's budding paid fire department in 1895.

• In 1898, as Houston continued to expand, the city enlisted famed architect Olle J. Lorehn to design Station 7 in Midtown as the first firehouse constructed by the city itself. It opened a year later.
• The city covered the station with stucco in the 1930s, hiding the beautiful locally sourced masonry.

Station 7 was in operation until 1969, when its replacement was built along Elgin Street.

• The building opened as the Houston Fire Museum in 1982 and was soon listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The intrigue: The recent restoration included removing the stucco and other elements to expose the building's architecture.

• The museum also worked with Third Ward's Plum Alley Windowcraft to restore the station's original stained glass windows .
• Upgrades also include compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a new HVAC system and, ironically, automatic fire suppression upgrades.

What they're saying: "We are limiting our opening exhibits to highlight the masonry, wood and window restorations that have been completed on this historic gem," Houston Fire Museum executive director Kate Ryther said ahead of Saturday's event.

💭 Jay's thought bubble: Looking at this 2003 effort to preserve another Houston fire station Lorehn designed, you really see the carnage from demolishing his work.

• He designed the original Sacred Heart Church, built downtown in 1912, and it's now a parking lot. His 1911 Metropole Hotel is also now a parking lot.
• The crown jewel that "secured his reputation as a capable and imaginative architect" was the Binz Building, designed in 1895, on Main Street in downtown. It was demolished in 1950 and was replaced with a massive parking garage and office space.

The bottom line: The restoration of the original Station 7 architecture is an important step toward preserving Houston's history, particularly Lorehn's architectural work.

If you go: The museum is located at 2403 Milam St. and will be open for the celebration from 10:30am to 3:30pm Saturday.

• It's free to attend but requested that you register online for a specific time slot.
• Normal business hours are 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday.