Adrian Engine House No. 1
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Adrian Engine House No. 1 | |
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  Location within the state of Michigan  Adrian Engine House No. 1 (the United States) | |
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| Location | 126 East Church Street Adrian, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 41°53′50″N 84°02′11″W / 41.89722°N 84.03639°W |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival, Italianate |
| Part of | Downtown Adrian Commercial District |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000789[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 21, 1989 |
The Adrian Engine House No. 1 is a historic fire station located at 126 East Church Street in downtown Adrian, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 1989.[1][2] It is located within the Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District and next to the Adrian Public Library.
The Adrian Fire Department dates back to 1841, with the formation of a volunteer company. A second company was founded in 1845, and by 1851 the two companies had over 100 volunteers. In 1855, construction began on this fire station to house Engine Company #1. It was put into service early in 1856. In 1867, the city went to a full-time fire department, and purchased new steam equipment and horses to pull it, necessitating the addition of stables to the building and other changes to house the equipment. In 1877, an addition directly abutting the engine house was constructed to house new equipment.[3]
In 1912-14, new motorized equipment was purchased to replace the horse-drawn equipment. In 1917, the two companies in the city were consolidated into this building. Concrete floors were added in 1932.[3] The fire station was used by the city until 1987, making it the oldest continuously operating fire station in Michigan when it closed.[2] After that, the building was internally restructured into retail office space, while the outside had remained unchanged. It is currently occupied by the Adrian Design Group.[4]
