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Central Station

Introduction

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Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, Central Station is a historic fire station built in 1927. It represents the development of the fire fighting into a professional service in the 1920s and is also one of the first stations in Florida designed in the Art Deco style. Local architect William J. Heim designed it as well as a number of other buildings in the county. The building features a stepped parapet, vertical terra cotta panels at the second-story corners, a decorative terra cotta panel with the words "Central Station," and a four-story domed hose tower.

Images

Central Station was built in 1927 and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture.

Sky, Property, Window, Cloud

Sky, Daytime, Brick, Brickwork

Backstory and Context

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Sebring was established in 1911 but the fire department wasn't created until 1925. Before then, volunteer performed fire fighting duties. However, the city grew significantly in the early 1920s and it became clear to city officials that a professional fire department was necessary. The first fire chief was prominent local figure and future Sebring historian Allen C. Altvater. As a result of Altvater's leadership, fire fighters received standardized training and the fire department developed advanced fire fighting techniques, which were adopted by other fire departments in Florida.

Additionally, in 1928 a retired chemistry professor started to give classes about fire and the fire department published his lectures, which became popular throughout the state. Interest was so high that the first session of the Florida Fire College was held in Daytona Beach in May, 1930 and the second took place in Sebring in 1930. Central Station has been used continuously as a fire station since its construction in 1927.

Sources

Welcher, Vicki L. "Central Station." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 14, 1989. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/acedfb2a-8e88-492d-b2eb-a4b4095e198c.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Both images via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Central_Station_(Sebring,_Florida)

Additional Information