Greensboro Former Firehouses  

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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.




 

 

Old Central Fire Station

318 N. Greene Street
Opened 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.
 

    




 

 

Old Station 3

2315 Yanceyville Street
Opened 1948 / Closed 1980

Presently child-care center

Built with funds from a bond issue approved in 1947, Greensboro Fire Station 3 opened on December 17, 1948, 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.
 

 




 

 

Old Station 4

414 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Opened circa 1905 / Closed 1960
Presently community development center

Around December 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.
 

 


 

 

Old Station 5

549 South Mendenhall Street
Opened 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. It was reported as under construction in September 1897.

Located in College Hill, the historic engine house presently serves as a grocery store.
 
 


 

 

Old Station 5

442 South Mendenhall Street
Built 1919 / Closed 1964
Presently residence

In 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.
 

 




 

 

Old Station 5

1816 West Friendly Avenue
Opened 1964 / Closed 1992
Presently commercial space

Greensboro Fire Station 5 opened at its third location at 1618 West Friendly Avenue on May 22, 1964, on what was then-addressed as Madison Avenue and Radiance Drive.

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.
 

 


 

 

Old Station 8

1735 West Lee Street
Opened 1925 / Closed 1970
Presently empty

Also known as the West Lee Street Station, Greensboro Fire Station 8 first housed a refurbished 1915 American LaFrance Type 75 pumper. It formally opened on November 12, 1926.

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.
 

 


 

 

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.
 

 

Other Early Fire Stations


Courtesy Richard Page.


Courtesy Greensboro History Museum

Two modern-era fire stations are no longer standing. Old Station 6 (top) opened in 1949 at 1401 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, opened on January 27, 1925, at 800 Church Street. 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.
 

Map

References

Greensboro Fire Department, Fire Stations
Greensboro News Release, New City Facility
Greensboro Public Library
Three books about the Greensboro Fire Department were published in 1984, 1990, and 2001. Search the Library Catalog for keywords "Greensboro Fire"
Greensboro Public Library, Walking Tour of Historic Greensboro, Central Station
National Register of Historic Places, Database
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps via NC LIVE
Requires password available from your local library. After logging into NC LIVE, click Browse Resources and select Maps

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Note

This page was updated with some corrections in February 2020. A version of this article was published on FireNews.net on January 14, 2005.

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