Oskaloosa Fire Station & City Hall

While they appear to form a single structure, the Oskaloosa Fire Station & City Hall are actually two separate buildings. The fire station was erected in 1908 and the City Hall was completed in 1911. Des Moines architect Frank E. Wetherell designed them in the Renaissance Revival style. Both feature windows with jack-arched tops, stone belt courses, quoins, and a corbelled brick cornice. The fire station also includes a bell tower. In 2017 the station was renovated and an addition was built.

Frank Wetherell drew up the plans for the buildings in 1905 and the fire station was planned to be built first. As such, both buildings represent the concept of phased development. It is unclear why construction of the fire station didn't begin until 1908. A newspaper article mentioned that Wetherell's contract required him to revise the plans until they satisfied the building committee, so this may be the reason why construction of the station didn't start for three years. Why City Hall wasn't built until 1911 is even less clear. Both buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Oskaloosa City Hall." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 13, 1991. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/91001764_text.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Oskaloosa Fire Station." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 13, 1991. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/91001763_text.

"Oskaloosa Fire Department Holds Dedication Ceremony." KMZN. August 3, 2017. https://radiokmzn.com/5411.