{"nrhp_refnum":"80000809","name":"Fire Station No. 23","other_names":["Old Fire Station 23"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"225 E. 5th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.04578103100005,"lon":-118.24660755199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story reinforced concrete fire station with basement at 225 East Fifth Street in Los Angeles, California, dedicated October 10, 1910. It was designed by architects Hudson and Munsell and built by the F.O. Engstrum Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was the most elaborate and unique fire station in Los Angeles from the turn of the century, with ornate materials and luxurious interiors. It was the city's first reinforced concrete fire station and its first three-story one, and the last used for horse-drawn apparatus. A 1979 national survey of about 250 old fire stations reportedly found none matching its interior.","narrative":"Built in 1910 at 225 East Fifth Street in Los Angeles, Old Fire Station No. 23 is a three-story reinforced concrete building with a basement, designed by Hudson and Munsell and constructed by the F.O. Engstrum Company. Its facade combines Italian marble, terra cotta, a slanted bay window and a red tile roof. Inside, the building was fitted with oak and Peruvian mahogany trim, tile, marble and a fireplace on the third floor, which served as department headquarters and as the Chief Engineer's family quarters until 1928. It was the city's first reinforced concrete fire station, its first of three stories, and the last used for horse-drawn apparatus. Its lavish cost drew sharp newspaper criticism during construction. The station ceased firefighting service in 1960 after 60,000 alarms, was named a local monument in 1966, and was designated the fire department museum in 1979. Much original equipment and decoration remains.","period_of_significance":"1910","architect_builder":"Architect - Hudson and Munsell; Builder - F.O. Engstrum Company","architectural_style":"Utilitarian design with an eclectic array of decorative elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Retired as a city fire station in 1960; in 1979 the City Council proclaimed it the Official Los Angeles City Fire Department Museum. Described as in good condition and a remarkable state of preservation, with relatively few alterations.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.121622-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/80000809.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000809/fc041f211c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000809/fc041f211c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_Station_No._23,_Los_Angeles.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_Station_No._23,_Los_Angeles.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859111","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Station_No._23_(Los_Angeles,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5451467"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/fire-station-no-23-80000809/"}