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Seattle Fire Department Station House Records, 1903-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Fire Dept.
Title
Seattle Fire Department Station House Records
Dates
1903-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
8.2 cubic ft., (21 boxes)
Collection Number
2801-05
Summary
Records relating to the physical structures and maintenance of Seattle Fire Department station houses.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

A Fire Department was established by City Charter in 1883. It provided for equipment purchases, but not for hiring of firefighters. Following the Great Fire of 1889, a professional fire department was created with five district fire stations and purchase of a fire boat. The first Fire Chief of the professional department was Gardner Kellogg, who served 1890-1892 and 1895-1901. A Board of Fire Commissioners was established by the 1890 City Charter to prescribe rules and regulations for the Department. The Board's responsibilities included enforcing rules violations and appointing the Fire Chief and all subordinate officers. The Board was abolished with passage of a new City Charter in 1896.

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Content Description

This record series contains information about the physical structures of the station houses of the Seattle Fire Department. Types of materials include correspondence, memoranda, maintenance requests, architectural drawings and photographs. The records contain some materials related to personnel and community relations issues. New station planning materials, including building drawings and appraisal reports, are included for some stations. Requisitions for station amenities make up a large portion of the records, including requests for basketball hoops, new lockers, electricity or telephone service. Maintenance of the building makes up a large portion, in the form of inspection reports, repair requests and some materials regarding WISHA violations. Documentation outlining damage to the station house is also prevalent, including broken windows and doors, vandalism, automobile collisions and theft. The files are organized by station house number as designated by the Fire Department.

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Other Descriptive Information

Station House Locations

Although not an authoritative list, the following is a list of fire stations included in the records series and their locations by street address.

1: 7th and Columbia

2: 4th and Battery

4: 26th Ave SW and SW Florida

5: 925 Alaskan Way

6: 23rd Avenue and Yesler Way

7: 15th Ave E. and E. Harrison St.

8: Warren Ave. and Lee St.

9: Linden Ave. and N. 39th St.

9-1: 8729 15th Ave NE

10: 301 2nd Ave S.

11: 4423 Densmore Avenue

12: 16th SW and SW Holden

13: 3601 Beacon Avenue

16: 6846 Oswego Place

17: 1020 East 50th Street

26: 8201 10th Avenue South

27: 6210 13th Avenue South

28: 5968 Rainier Avenue

29: 2127 Ferry Avenue

30: 2931 Winthrope

32: 4321 West Alaska Street

33: 10235 62nd South

34: 633 32nd Avenue N.

36: 2219 W. Spokane St.

37: 7300 35th Ave SW

38: 5501 33rd Ave NE

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle Fire Department Station House Records, Record Series 2801-05. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in numerical order by station number.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fire stations--Maintenance and repair--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Fire stations--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Fire Dept.

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.).--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Architectural drawings
  • Correspondence
  • Memorandums
  • Photographic prints

Occupations

  • Fire fighters--Washington (State)--Seattle

Finding aid prepared by Anne Frantilla
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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