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 This one-story Fire Engine House was built in 1928 on the same
site as the previous wood frame engine house, which it replaced.
The designer of this Mediterranean Revival style building was John
Topzant of Milwaukee, who gave it walls clad in brick and a tile
roof. A particularly fine feature of the building is the drying
tower for fire hoses on the west elevation, which Topzant
fashioned into a campanile-like tower. The building served as a
fire engine house until 1975 when it was converted into a senior
citizens center. It is believed to be eligible for listing in the
NRHP under Criterion C (Architecture) as an excellent, largely
intact, and quite rare example of Mediterranean Revival Style
design applied to an atypical resource type. As one of the few
surviving pre-World War II buildings associated with city
government in Port Washington, this building is also believed to
be potentially eligible for
 listing in the NRHP under Criterion A
(History) because of its associations with the City's historic
fire prevention efforts.
The two arch windows at the left side of the picture replace doors for bays that housed three vehicles. Doors on the lower have been converted to windows and one walk-through door. The lower level housed another three vehicles. Two of these vehicles were owned by the Town of Port Washington. The replacement fire house was built just across the street. It houses 11 vehicles, but has space for a total of 13. |
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