{"nrhp_refnum":"85003361","name":"Rochester Fire Department Headquarters and Shops","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"185 North St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochester","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.160863618000064,"lon":-77.60428624399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pair of two-story buff-brick buildings, the Headquarters Building and the Shops Building, at 185 North Street in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, built in 1936 on opposite sides of University Avenue.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is one of the best expressions of Art Deco architecture in Rochester's Inner Loop area and the city. The Headquarters Building has an exceptional program of relief sculpture and iconography, including pilasters shaped like firemen. They are the only Art Deco fire department buildings in Rochester, and were built with Public Works Administration funds.","narrative":"Two matching brick buildings at 185 North Street in Rochester, built in 1936, served as the city's fire department headquarters and shops and still serve that role, along with housing city archives. The Headquarters Building is triangular in plan, with a buttressed hose tower, while the Shops Building across University Avenue has entrance towers and a tall octagonal brick chimney. Both use buff-colored brick, light stone trim, pilasters and glass block windows. Rochester architect Joseph P. Flynn designed the complex, and Stewart and Bennett, Inc. built it with Public Works Administration funds during the Depression. It was listed for its Art Deco design, the only example among Rochester's fire department buildings. Relief carvings on the headquarters include pilasters shaped like firemen, a window sill with a truck wheel motif, and an entablature of axes, chains and a telephone dial. Stylized Art Deco lettering appears throughout.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect Joseph P. Flynn; builder Stewart and Bennett, Inc.","architectural_style":"Art Deco","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as fire department headquarters and city archives; condition fair, with original window openings intact but windows recently replaced with fixed sash and metal infill panels.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.139338-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85003361.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003361/7954403bad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003361/7954403bad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"DanielPenfield","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RochesterNewYorkFireDepartmentHeadquarters.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">DanielPenfield</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:RochesterNewYorkFireDepartmentHeadquarters.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313548","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester_Fire_Department_Headquarters_and_Shops","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7353976"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/rochester-fire-department-headquarters-and-shops-85003361/"}