Engine House No. 18
About this property
Engine House No. 18 is a fire station in the West Adams district of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1904, the station was designed in the Mission Revival style by architect John Parkinson, whose later works included Los Angeles City Hall, Union Station, and Bullocks Wilshire. In 1915, Engine House No. 18 was one of a dozen stations closed because of budget cutbacks resulting from the "two-platoon ordinance" passed by the Los Angeles City Council in 1915. The station re-opened in 1920 and remained an operating fire station until 1968. In 1932, former fireman James F. Fourong was arrested for burglarizing Engine House No. 18. Fourong had looted other fire stations by phoning in false alarms and then entering the firehouse while the men responded to the call. In February 1932, Fourong attempted a robbery at Engine House No. 18 but was surprised by a fireman while burglarizing the lockers. After the building had been vacant for sixteen years, the Community Redevelopment Agency in 1984 agreed to a $28,000 contract with Woodford & Bernard, architects, to prepare construction documents for the restoration of Engine House No. 18. The plan was to restore and convert the firehouse into a community-oriented professional training center at a cost of $225,000. Artist Wendell Collins provided art to the community from 1987 to 2004. Through a competitive bidding process that began in December 2009, the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) awarded the Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF) the opportunity to purchase Engine House No. 18. ECF purchased the property in 2011 with the goal of converting the cultural landmark into a fine arts training center for adults with special needs and a community creative space for the residents of South Los Angeles. Renovations of the site began in June 2012. ECF re-opened Engine House No. 18 as its South L.A. Art Center in the spring of 2013. Approximately 50 participants with developmental disabilities annually are provided with daily fine art instruction, life skills training, and case management services at this location. The center also hosts exhibits of the participants' artwork along with creations by other community artists.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Engine House No. 18
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Questions about this property
When was Engine House No. 18 listed on the National Register?
Engine House No. 18 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1982.
What type of historic resource is Engine House No. 18?
Engine House No. 18 is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Engine House No. 18?
The period of significance for Engine House No. 18 is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Engine House No. 18?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Engine House No. 18 will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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