Happy 120th Birthday to Aurora’s Old Central Fire Station

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Aurora’s old Central Fire Station. Visit the Aurora Regional Fire Museum at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 for a grand birthday party.

Aurora’s Old Central Fire Station

The station was built in 1894 at a cost of $10,000. Designed by a local architect, the building’s unique bay windows, decorative cornice, and “onion-dome” were typical of the Victorian-time and indicative of community pride. When it was completed, the newspaper wrote, “The beautiful and commodious building stands completed, a model of its kind…. In respect to cost, finish, appearance, convenience and good taste, there is nothing additional to wish for. The building… might be the pride of any city.”

Through the years the old Central Fire Station underwent several changes to keep pace with the changing times and technologies. When the horse-drawn fire engines were replaced with motorized trucks, the building’s eight original horse stalls were removed, and the former hayloft was converted to a kitchen and recreation area for the firefighters. In 1920, the wooden floor of the apparatus room was replaced with concrete to better support the weight of the motorized fire engines.

The building’s exterior also underwent many changes. The copper-clad onion dome and bay windows were removed in 1943 — presumably for the war-scrap drives, and to “modernize” the building. Throughout the 1950s and 60s the building’s windows and door openings were frequently modified to suite the changing needs of the firefighters and the community.

By the late 1970s, the fire department had literally out-grown the old Central Fire Station. A small building to the south had been appropriated to provide a training room and a bunkroom for the paramedics, but little could be done to increase the space of the apparatus room. The fire department’s new ladder truck purchased in 1979 was unable to fit through the old station’s arched garage door openings.

A fire museum

In September of 1966, Chief Erwin J. Bauman authorized the establishment of a fire museum in order to collect and preserve Aurora’s fire fighting history. Lieutenant Charles Goodwin was appointed the curator, and the large basement of Fire Station 4 was used to house the growing collection. In October of 1968 the Aurora Fire Museum opened to the public.

Under the leadership of Captain Charles Goodwin and his wife Georgia, the Aurora Fire Museum thrived. Georgia spent thousands of hours researching and documenting the fire department’s history from the annals of the local public library and newspaper archives, while Charlie collected and cataloged over a thousand objects and two thousand photographs.

By the early 1980s, the museum had outgrown the basement of Station 4, and a more suitable home for the collection was sought.

A new station and a new home for Aurora Fire Museum

In 1981, a new fire department headquarters was built on North Broadway adjacent to the old station. The old Central Station faithfully served the city for eighty-six years and there was much debate about its future. After several failed attempts to sell the old building, a group of community activists, building preservationists, and retired firefighters successfully petitioned city officials to “Save Our Station” from demolition. They recommended using the old station as the new home for the fledgling Aurora Fire Museum.

The newly formed Aurora Fire Station Preservation Corporation acquired the old Central Station in July of 1987. The years of indecision and neglect were hard on the old building, and major repair work was urgently needed. The roof leaked, the hardwood floors were covered over, the walls had been coated with layers of paint, and there were major life-safety code issues that needed to be addressed. After three years and thousands of volunteer hours the Aurora Regional Fire Museum opened in the fall of 1990.

In 2000, the City of Aurora received a grant from the State of Illinois to renovate the old Central Station, stabilize its foundation, and restore its original front facade. The projecting bay windows with leaded glass transoms were fabricated, a replica of the onion dome was installed, and new apparatus doors were hung to match the original 1894 design.

After one-hundred and ten years of use, seven years of neglect, and more than fifteen years of unrelenting hard work, the fully-restored Aurora Regional Fire Museum reopened in the fall of 2004. Today the restored old Central Fire Station serves as a unique historical landmark and is a destination for local, regional, and international visitors.

A thriving museum

Since its inception in 1987, the Aurora Fire Station Preservation Corporation (doing business as the Aurora Regional Fire Museum) has remained focused on their mission — to preserve the old Central Fire Station and exhibit the artifacts and history of firefighting in Aurora and surrounding area fire departments. The collection has grown to include six pieces of fire apparatus ranging from the 1850s though the 1960s, thousands of artifacts, and nearly five thousand images. They are frequently consulted for firefighting history questions on a local as well as national level.

The exhibits have evolved from displays crafted by amateurs, to award-winning interactive exhibits that encourage learning and discovery. The museum’s educational programs touch thousands of individuals — from school-aged children to adults.

The Aurora Regional Fire Museum has become an active participant in the community — partnering with other non-profits, and the City of Aurora on a wide variety of public programs, and civic activities.

Only the most optimistic dreamers could have envisioned Aurora’s old Central Fire Station today. Both the building, and the Aurora Regional Fire Museum as an organization, are once again considered, “The pride of any city!”

History courtesy of Aurora Regional Fire Museum