Fire Station No. 2 (Waterloo, Iowa)

Fire Station No. 2
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	716 Commercial St. Waterloo, Iowa
Coordinates	42°29′37.8″N92°20′17.5″W / 42.493833°N 92.338194°W / 42.493833; -92.338194
Area	less than one acre
Built	1907
Architect	John G. Ralston
Architectural style	Renaissance Revival Romanesque Revival
MPS	Waterloo MPS
NRHP reference No.	88001321 [1]
Added to NRHP	November 29, 1988

Fire Station No. 2, also known as El Mecca Shrine Club, is a historic building in Waterloo, Iowa. The city's paid fire department was established in 1904; previously, private fire companies served Waterloo. Built in 1907, this is the only early fire station remaining in the city. ^[2] The building is an eclectic combination of Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, and was designed by prominent Waterloo architect John G. Ralston. Decorative elements on the main floor include columns with foliated capitals that support a broad entablature. The second story is primarily brick with lighter stone accents that create a polychromatic effect. The building functioned as a fire station until 1969, when the city built five new stations. Afterwards, Black Hawk County used the building as an office for issuing food stamps. El Mecca Shrine acquired the building in 1976 and converted it into a restaurant and club. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. ^[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Barbara Beving Long; James E. Jacobsen. "Fire Station No. 2". National Park Service . Retrieved November 23, 2016. with photos