Fire Station No. 23 (Los Angeles, California)

Last updated
Fire Station No. 23
Fire Station No. 23, Los Angeles.JPG
Fire Station No. 23, 2008
U.S. - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area location map.svg
Red pog.svg
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location225 E. 5th St., Los Angeles, California
Coordinates 34°2′44.5″N118°14′48.2″W / 34.045694°N 118.246722°W / 34.045694; -118.246722
Built1910
ArchitectHudson & Munsell, F.O. Engstrum Co.
NRHP reference No. 80000809 [1]
LAHCM No.37
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 9, 1980
Designated LAHCMFebruary 18, 1966

Fire Station No. 23 is a former fire station in Downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1910 as an operating fire station, it was also the Los Angeles Fire Department's headquarters until 1920 and the residence of every fire chief from 1910 to 1928. When it opened, it spawned a political firestorm due to the ornate interior and expensive imported materials, leading to its being called the "Taj Mahal" of firehouses. After 50 years of operation, the station was closed in 1960 as the department began replacing older stations with new facilities. Since the 1980s, Fire Station No. 23 has been a popular filming location. Motion pictures filmed at the station include the Ghostbusters movies, The Mask , Police Academy 2 , Flatliners , Firehouse and National Security .

Contents

History

Construction controversy

In June 1909, the city of Los Angeles announced plans to build a three-story fire station in the heart of the wholesale and manufacturing district that would also serve as the fire department's headquarters. The projected cost of the station was placed at $35,000. [2]

When the station opened in September 1910 at a final cost of $53,000, a controversy arose over the cost and use of expensive materials, including Peruvian mahogany in the chief's living quarters. [3] It was considered the "most elaborate and richest engine-house west of New York" and maybe the "most ornate ... in this or any other world." [3] The Los Angeles Times reported on its opulence as follows:

"It is the interior which is to reincarnate man and beast in the fire department. It is the interior which is a sort of Nirvana for a soulful legion of blue-shirted civil service graduates. Its spell will be hypnotic, for if the visitor starts in with the third floor he will leave by Winston Street in stupefaction." [3]

The building was an unusually narrow structure, only 26 feet (7.9 m) wide but 167 feet (51 m) deep stretching the entire distance from Fifth to Winston Streets. [4] The main floor was an arcade connecting Fifth and Winston Streets with stalls for ten horses, repressed vitrified brick, walls of white enamel tiling, and pressed steel ceilings 21 feet (6.4 m) above the floor. More than anything else, it was the extravagant third floor living quarters, described as "the chief's boudoir" and a "palace for chiefs," [3] that drew the most attention. Access to the third floor was by a private elevator that "moves noiselessly and stealthily to the upper haven." [3] The third floor was covered in Peruvian mahogany with French bevel glass mirrors, a mantel of Vermont marble, polished inlaid oak floors, a private slide pole, a massive brass bed, private roof garden, and "a tub big enough for two chiefs." [3] [5] The Times reported: "Notice the Peruvian mahogany carefully, and you will see that the heart of the log has been chosen and that its grain has been placed so that it gives the appearance of real flames. Certainly the esthetic for the reception room of the engine-house de luxe." [3] The chief's apartment alone was reported to have cost $25,000. [5] The Times noted that the quarters rivaled the finest suites in the country, referred to it as a "Sybaritic effort," and offered its sarcastic speculation that the house captain would be expected to "wear evening dress after 6 o'clock, at least." [3]

The unveiling of the ornate fire station set off "a political and civic storm." [5] It was called a waste of taxpayer funds, as critics contended "three station houses could be built for what this cost." [5] Amid the outcry, city fire commissioners denied knowledge that the fire house was to have been so luxurious, though newspapers reported that the commissioners had approved the plans. [6] [7]

Operation

Fire Station No. 23 remained an active firehouse from 1910 to 1960. When it opened, it was staffed by fifteen firefighters and ten horses. The original equipment included a horse wagon, chief's buggy, and a pumper that used a vertical tube boiler. [4] The company's first major call was a fire in the old Byrne Building that took ten hours to extinguish. [4]

The station also served as the department's headquarters from 1910 to 1920, [7] and the home for every fire chief from 1910 to 1928, including chief Ralph J. Scott. [6] Chief Scott's wife, Addie Scott, lived with him on the third floor and later recalled the station's early days: "I remember the horses. They really knew what to do. When the bell would ring, they would come out and stand there to be hitched up. ... It was a nice life here for us. ... I remember trying to wax all these floors, and I just couldn't do it. So someone came and helped me. This is a lot of floor space you know." [7]

Fire Station No. 23 was closed in November 1960 as the Los Angeles Fire Department began replacing older stations with newer stations with modern facilities. [4] At the time of its closure, some of the 1,100 men who had worked there attended a ceremony as the building was "mustered out of service." [4]

Museum

Historic status

In 1966, the station was declared a Historic Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission; at the time of the declaration the Los Angeles Times called it the "Taj Mahal of fire stations." [5] A Library of Congress survey of 250 firehouses concluded that Station 23's interior was "unmatched in its beauty." [8] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Controversy over restoration and mismanagement

Through the 1960s and 1970s, the station deteriorated. The surrounding neighborhood became part of the city's Skid Row and the station became "a hangout for the street people." [7] Looters stole most of the copper tubing and brasswork, banisters, doorknobs, firebells, and even the five brass firepoles. [6] [7]

By the mid-1970s, concerns were raised that the building had become a hazard, and some proposed tearing it down. [7] However, in 1979, the Fire Commission announced plans to restore the rooms back to their 1910 condition and turn the station into a museum. [6] The City Council placed the station under control of the fire department, but provided that no city funds were to be used in creating the museum. [7]

In 1981, officials of the fire department set up a nonprofit organization called Olde 23 to raise funds to build the museum, but sufficient funds were never raised. [7] The projected cost of the museum, even in 1982, was $1 million, and critics questioned the wisdom of building a museum in Skid Row. [7] In 1988, the city settled on a different location for the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum—Engine Co. No. 27 in Hollywood.

Fire Station No. 23 became the subject of controversy again in 1995 when the Los Angeles Times ran a 2,200-word, front-page article reporting on alleged misuse of city funds by Olde 23, the nonprofit charged with restoration of the station. [8] Even though plans for the fire department museum had shifted to another location years earlier, Olde 23 continued to live on, banking more than $200,000 in fees from film and television producers using the station house as a shooting location. The Times reported that ex-Chief Donald O. Manning had not told other city agencies about Olde 23's continued operations, and Olde 23 had failed to turn over the income, as required by city law. [8] Investigations by the Times and the City Controller also revealed that some filming fees had been paid in cash to James Croak, an American artist who leased the building from the City of Los Angeles from 1978 to 1985, but no illegality was found as Mr. Croak had the right to sub-lease the property for short periods as long as he notified the landlord that he was doing so. Notably Mr. Croak used most of the money to replace missing brass fire poles, balustrades and other period fixtures that were missing. Other fees were not accounted for, and Olde 23 the museum non-profit had even collected fees for use of other city fire stations as shooting locations. [8] [9] Also, even after the city chose a new location for a fire department museum, the chief did not use the funds collected by "Olde 23" for the museum. [8] The controversy came to light after an angry official for Warner Bros. wrote a memorandum complaining about "donations" to the Fire Department and referring to such donations as "extortion." [9]

After artist James Croak vacated Fire Station No. 23, a new "caretaker" named Daniel Taylor went on to live there for another twenty years. Taylor also solicited donations for filming at the Fire Station which he put into his own nonprofit called Corporation for History, Art and Culture. On occasion, Taylor made the Fire Station available to neighborhood groups and sought to turn the space into a community center. Ultimately, Taylor was evicted by the City Attorney when it was found out that proper insurance was not in place. [10]

Filming location

Since 1978 when James Croak occupied the building after an 18-year vacancy, Fire Station No. 23 became a popular filming location for motion pictures, television productions, commercials, and music videos. In 1995, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "With its finely restored interior and turn-of-the-century architecture, old Fire Station 23 in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the choicest filming locations in town." [8] One producer called it "a great raw architectural space that you can do a lot with." [8]

The first major motion picture filmed at Station 23 was Hammett (1982) by German director Wim Wenders, followed two years later by Ghostbusters . [8] The station was used in the 1984 production as the location for the interior scenes of the headquarters of Drs. Venkman, Stantz and Spengler and Winston Zeddemore, as well as their secretary Janine Melnitz. [11] Another station in New York, the Hook & Ladder Company 8 firehouse, was used for the exterior shots. The success of Ghostbusters helped popularize the station as a shooting location, [8] and Fire Station No. 23 has since then been used in more than 50 productions, [8] including Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Ghostbusters II (1989), The Mask (1994), Police Academy 2 (1985), A-Team (1986), V.I. Warshawski (1991), Flatliners (1990), Lost Highway (1997), National Security (2003), RE(e)volution (2005). [9] [12] Grey's Anatomy [13] and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021).

Possible future and more controversy

In 1996, Los Angeles voters approved Proposition K, which was designed to fund the acquisition, improvement, construction and maintenance of city parks, recreation facilities and other youth-oriented spaces. The Prop. K language on the ballot included Fire Station No. 23's transition into a youth arts center. Prop. K is set to sunset in 2026. As of January 2023, Fire Station No. 23 is still in a state of disrepair and has never been open to the public as was intended under the Referendum. In fact, many in the surrounding community question whether a youth arts center is even an appropriate use for the building given the demographic shift since 1996 and several other factors. [14]

As part of Prop. K, Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committees or "LVNOCs" are created by the city for each proposed project. Fire Station No. 23 has an LVNOC who last met on Nov. 28, 2018. The meeting minutes are posted on the Bureau of Engineering's portal. [15] Several concerns by the LVNOC were raised including lack of a budget to analyze as well as a desire to see adult, in addition to youth programming.

Architectural firm Brooks + Scarpa has been hired by the city to design the interior of the Fire Station, although it is unclear if the project will be complete before Prop. K sunsets. Architectural renderings were shared of what the space could look like as an arts center. [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Fire Department</span> Fire department of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials services and emergency medical services to the citizens of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately four million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is the third largest municipal fire department in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department is sometimes also referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which serves unincorporated areas and, via contracts, other incorporated municipalities within Los Angeles County without their own fire departments. The department is currently under the command of Chief Kristin Crowley.

<i>Emergency!</i> American television series

Emergency! is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situation comedy series, The Partners and The Good Life, it ran for a total of 122 episodes until May 28, 1977, with six additional two-hour television films during the next two years, 1978 and 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Fire Department</span> American municipal fire department

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services,Specialized Hazardous Materials Response Services,Emergency Medical Response Services and Specialized Technical Rescue Services in the entire city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Fire Museum</span> Museum in Manhattan, New York

The New York City Fire Museum is a museum dedicated to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is housed in the former quarters of the FDNY's Engine Company No. 30, a renovated 1904 fire house at 278 Spring Street between Varick and Hudson Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parque de Bombas</span> Historic fire station in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Parque de Bombas is a historic former fire station in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Fire Department</span> Firefighting service in California

The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through contracting, including the city of La Habra, which is located in Orange County and is the first city outside of Los Angeles County to contract with LACoFD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Fire Department</span> Provides fire and emergency medical services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.

The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skid Row, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood in the US

Skid Row is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles. The area is officially known as Central City East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial</span> United States historic place

The Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial is located at Old Engine Co. No. 27, also known as Fire Station No. 27, on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood. The museum houses old fire engines and fire apparatus, some dating from the 1880s. The museum also houses a reference library and fire safety learning center. The building was named a Los Angeles Cultural-Heritage Monument in 1976 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Fallen Firefighters Memorial in front of the station consists of a memorial wall listing all of the Los Angeles firefighters who have died in the line of duty and five life-size statues of firefighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engine House No. 18 (Los Angeles, California)</span> United States historic place

Engine House No. 18 is a fire station in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engine House No. 12 (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Historic building in Columbus, Ohio

Engine House No. 12 is a former fire station in the Olde Towne East neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Today it primarily houses Gemüt Biergarten, a German restaurant, brewery, and biergarten, with its second story used for offices. It is a contributing property to the Columbus Near East Side District, a national historic district established in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Fire Station (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Central Fire Station is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and serves as the headquarters of the Davenport Fire Department, as well as the downtown fire station. Built from 1901 to 1902, the original building is the oldest active fire station west of the Mississippi River. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

James Velsir was a fireman and politician in 19th century Los Angeles, California.

The Stentorians are a fraternal organization of African American firefighters, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8</span> Fire station in New York City, "Ghostbusters" HQ

Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 is a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire station, located at 14 North Moore Street at its intersection with Varick Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Its exterior has become famous for its appearance in the supernatural comedy franchise Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters firehouse may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museo Parque de Bombas</span> Firefighting museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Museo Parque de Bombas is a museum located inside the historic Parque de Bombas in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Station No. 1 (Los Angeles, California)</span> Historic fire station in Los Angeles, United States

Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 1 was built in 1941. The Streamline Moderne station located at 2230 Pasadena Avenue replaced an older station, 3 blocks west of its current location. Built in 1887, the original station was the city of Los Angeles' first professional, full-time fire station. The former station's plot of land at Pasadena Ave & North Avenue 19 now houses the LAFD's supply and maintenance yard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engine House No. 10 (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Former fire station in Columbus, Ohio

Engine House No. 10 is a Columbus Division of Fire station in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The original firehouse was built in 1897, while its neighboring replacement, also known as Station 10, was completed in 2008.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Protection: Fire Stations to Be Models; City Will Build Two New Department Houses; Will Afford Much-Needed Protection to Growing Wholesale and Industrial Districts -- Fifth Street Structure to Be Used as Departmental Headquarters". Los Angeles Times. 1909-06-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Twenty-Three: Sybaritical Effort, This; New Engine-House Gorgeous Inside and Out; Reception Room, Suites and Boudoirs Provided; Costs Tax-Payers Fifty-three Thousand Dollars". Los Angeles Times. 1910-09-29.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "L.A. Fire Station Ends 50 Years of Service: Hose Wagon Was Drawn by Horses When Engine House 23 Started Operations". Los Angeles Times. 1960-11-21.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Built in 1910: Ornate Fire Station Declared Historic City Monument". Los Angeles Times. 1966-05-17.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Nieson Himmel (1979-10-08). "Postscript: 'Palatial' Firehouse of 1910 Will be Rescued from Neglect". Los Angeles Times.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lynn Simross (1982-01-26). "City Officials Hope Museum Idea Catches Fire: Restoring Historic Firehouse to Former Grandeur Is Goal". Los Angeles Times.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Robert J. Lopez (1995-04-18). "Old Fire Station Funds Banked by Private Unit Revenue: Chief Manning heads nonprofit group promoting film use of facility; Controller beings probe". Los Angeles Times.
  9. 1 2 3 Robert J. Lopez (1995-09-15). "Audit Says Rent on Firehouse Was Due City; Finance: Nonprofit organization headed by ex-Chief Manning improperly banked tens of thousands of dollars in filming fees, city controller says". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ "New Chapter Looms for Skid Row Firehouse". 4 September 2009.
  11. ↑ "Filming locations for Ghostbusters (1984)". imdb.com.
  12. ↑ "Titles with locations including Fire Station 23 - 225 E. 5th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA". imdb.
  13. ↑ Grey's Anatomy (TV Series 2005– ) - Filming & production - IMDb . Retrieved 2024-11-15– via www.imdb.com.
  14. ↑ Thomas, Sean P. (5 December 2018). "Historic Skid Row Firehouse to Become Youth Arts Center". Los Angeles Downtown News - The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  15. ↑ "Engine Company 23 Jr Arts Center | Bureau of Engineering". eng.lacity.org. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  16. ↑ "Brooks + Scarpa - Fire Engine Co. 23 Youth Arts Center Los Angeles, CA". brooksscarpa.com. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  17. ↑ "Sneak peek at the future of Skid Row's once-beautiful Fire Station No. 23". 6 November 2018.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.