{"nrhp_refnum":"86000798","name":"Houston Fire Station No. 7","other_names":["Houston Fire Museum"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2304 Milam St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.747279191000075,"lon":-95.37480097099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-04-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick-and-concrete fire station at 2304 Milam Street, just south of downtown Houston, Harris County, Texas. It was completed in January 1899 and designed by Olle J. Lorehn; it now houses the Houston Fire Museum.","why_significant":"The station is tied to the long history of the Houston Fire Department and its firefighters' role in the South End. It is the only surviving fire station designed by architect Olle J. Lorehn and one of the best-preserved examples of his work. It is a fine example of Victorian-era Romanesque Revival fire houses in Houston, and as a restored museum it serves as an educational resource.","narrative":"Fire Station No. 7, at 2304 Milam Street just south of downtown Houston, is a two-story brick and concrete firehouse completed in January 1899. Architect Olle J. Lorehn gave it a Romanesque Revival design with heavy massing, rusticated trim, stone detailing, two wide engine doors flanking an arched central entry, and a double-height upper space lit by clerestory windows. The station served as a fire station until 1968, first with horse-drawn equipment and later motorized, and was never put to another use until it became the Houston Fire Museum in 1981 after a careful restoration. Lorehn designed several fire stations and the Central Fire Station, but this is the only one still standing and among the best preserved of his surviving works. Original features remain, including art-glass windows, beaded-board paneling, and two brass fire poles. Its record of service to the South End and its role as a public museum underlie its recognition.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Cahill and Hunter; Olle J. Lorehn","architectural_style":"Victorian-period Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored in 1981 and in use as the Houston Fire Museum; maintained in very good condition and owned by the City of Houston.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.547673-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/54/9722/40972254/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/86000798.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000798/8f54c6bdb4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000798/8f54c6bdb4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"i_am_jim","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Fire_Station_No._7.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">i_am_jim</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houston_Fire_Station_No._7.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972254","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Fire_Station_No._7","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18705934"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/houston-fire-station-no-7-86000798/"}