Noted architect H.A. Overbeck, the man behind the State Fair Building, came up with the Mission Revival design for the fire house in the years after a massive fire decimated much of Oak Cliff in 1908, prompting the entire city to increase its fire protection services. But it nearly wasn’t built; just as Overbeck finished the design, the city’s firefighters walked off the job, protesting their working conditions, which included 24-hour shifts, six days a week. The city settled on 12-hour shifts for firefighters in 1918 and construction was completed for a cost of $20,684. It served citizens until shortly after WWII. In the early 1990s, it was restored and transformed into an arts center. In 1997 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (Source: National Parks Service)
Return to ‘Historical happenings’ story
