Historic Fire Station No. 9

Station 9 was one of two stations built in 1911, during a time when Kansas City was experiencing significant economic growth and civic improvement. William E. Harris designed both this station and Station No. 8 in a combination of Prairie School and Tudor Revival styles. When the stations were built, they would have utilized chemical and hose wagons pulled by horses, but they were later modified to fit larger fire trucks. Station 9 is also notable for its terra cotta gargoyles wearing firemen's uniforms, located on the outside of the building.

Fire Station No. 9 was one of the first of many civic improvements carried out during Kansas City's period of greatest prosperity, from 1910 to 1927. ... Although largely built in response to public needs, civic pride nevertheless played a significant role in the design and implementation of many of these improvements.

The station opened on December 6, 1911, to serve the growing Grandview neighborhood, as it was then called. It was located near Bethany Hospital, which was completed in the same year. In fact, the addition of the hospital may have been the reason a nearby fire station became necessary. By the time the city's period of growth ended in 1927, the area had become full of a combination of middle-class and blue-collar workers.

Station No. 9 was decommissioned in 1967 following the construction of a new Station 9 in another part of the area. It was used as a shop and storage for city painters and carpenters, and left to deteriorate, until 1975 when the city repaired the building and converted it for use as a community center. Within the last twenty years, it was purchased by Community Housing of Wyandotte County, which currently owns and operates it as an affordable housing center.

Cawthon, Richard J.. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, National Park Service. June 21st, 1985. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/85001982_text.

Kansas City Kansas Fire Department – Station 9, Kansas Fire Trucks. Accessed August 24th, 2022. http://kansasfiretrucks.com/regions/northeast-kansas/wyandotte-county/kckfd/kckfd-station9/.