Seattle's Fire Station No. 25

Completed in 1909, Seattle's Fire Station No. 25 was one of the city’s earliest fire houses to be constructed from brick, rather than wood. Designed by the architectural firm of Somerville and Cote, it was built to accommodate horse-drawn fire wagons, in addition to the city’s first assigned motorized apparatus. The Seattle Fire Department’s blacksmith workshop was also based at this station during the era of horse-drawn fire equipment. As the station fully transitioned to mechanized equipment by 1920, the building was updated accordingly. By the 1970s, however, it had become outdated, even for modern equipment. The station was decommissioned by the city, with ownership transferred to Historic Seattle, which sold the property to a developer with protective easements. Through an adaptive reuse project, the fire station was converted to townhouse apartments with the original façade preserved. In 1972, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it was designated a Seattle City Landmark in 1975.

After the Great Fire of 1889 swept through Seattle, many buildings downtown were reconstructed from brick, rather than wood. The Seattle Fire Department, however, continued to build with wood, constructing many smaller wooden structures in outlying areas of the city. Designed in 1908 and completed in 1909, Fire Station No. 25 was designed for horse-drawn fire wagons, as was usual at the time, yet it was also the first station in the city to be assigned a motor-driven apparatus, with a motorized hose and a chemical wagon. In addition, this particular station also served as the Seattle Fire Department’s Blacksmith Shop for the next decade, during the remainder of the horse-drawn transportation era. Using this station as a home base, the blacksmith made his rounds to all of the other stations throughout the city.

In 1913, Ladder Company No. 10 was established at Fire Station No. 25, with the addition of a second motorized truck. By 1920, the city’s last horse-drawn fire wagon was replaced by a mechanized vehicle, and this station's former horse stalls were dismantled. The building otherwise continued to retain much of its original design. Unique features include the red brick exterior and terraced bays, with each bay dropping two feet lower than the previous bay, as the building extends in a downward slope along the hillside. The station's firemen were never comfortable with the design, as it led to many accidents when they rushed to their wagons during alarms. Guardrails were installed on the upper edge of each terrace as a corrective measure. The brass firemen’s poles were also problematic, resulting in broken ankles. The poles varied in length, due to the hill’s slope, thus the firemen reached the ground floor at different times.

As of the 1970s, the station was considered no longer suitable for modern equipment, so it was decommissioned and declared surplus property. The building remained standing, and ownership was transferred to the non-profit organization, Historic Seattle. In 1972, Fire Station No. 25 was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it was designated as a City Landmark in 1975. Historic Seattle sold the building to a developer, with protective easements in place, and it underwent an adaptive reuse project to create townhouse-style apartments. Although the interior was heavily modified, the arched windows, doors, and roofline were preserved, in keeping with the original façade. Today, the old Fire Station No. 25 building reflects two distinct eras of fire protection in Seattle, as the city transitioned from horse-drawn wagons to mechanized equipment from the early to mid-twentieth century.

"Fire Station No. 25", HistoryLink. Accessed August 23rd, 2023. https://historylink.tours/stop/fire-station-no-25/.

"Fire Station No. 25", Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. December 18th, 1974. Accessed August 23rd, 2023. https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/Neighborhoods/HistoricPreservation/Landmarks/RelatedDocuments/DesRptFireStation25.pdf.

"Washington SP Fire Station No. 25: Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places", National Archives. April 14th, 1972. Accessed August 23rd, 2023. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612458.