{"nrhp_refnum":"97000363","name":"Dallas Fire Station No. 16","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5501 Columbia Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.79907762000005,"lon":-96.75527645499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-04-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2-story red brick fire station at 5501 Columbia Avenue in East Dallas, Texas, built in 1918 and designed by architect H.A. Overbeck, with G.G. Johnson as builder.","why_significant":"It is nominated at the local level under Criterion A for Community Planning and Development, because it served growing East Dallas neighborhoods as fire protection modernized. It is also nominated under Criterion C for Architecture, for its blend of Prairie School and Mission Revival influences that reflected suburban residential character. It retains a high degree of integrity with minimal alterations.","narrative":"Dallas Fire Station No. 16, at 5501 Columbia Avenue, was completed in 1918 to serve fast-growing neighborhoods east of downtown, including Munger Place and Columbia Place. The city hired local architect H.A. Overbeck, and G.G. Johnson built it for $19,000. The red brick building combines Prairie School geometry with Mission Revival features: a curvilinear parapet, cast stone trim, and a pent roof of red clay tile on large knee brackets. Twin bay doors open below second-floor living quarters. The design reflects a brief period when fire stations took on the look of surrounding suburban houses. The station opened after a firefighters' strike and after local residents funded its equipment. It closed after World War II, later housed a community center, became a Dallas landmark in 1988, and was restored in the early 1990s as an arts center. Its exterior remains largely unchanged.","period_of_significance":"1917-47","architect_builder":"Overbeck, H.A. (architect); Johnson, G.G. (builder)","architectural_style":"Prairie School; Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored in the early 1990s and now used as a museum/arts center with exhibitions, performances and educational activities.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.96272-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/31/9717/40971731/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/97000363.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000363/1c29f3618c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000363/1c29f3618c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dallas_Fire_Station_No.16.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Dallas_Fire_Station_No.16.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971731","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Fire_Station_No._16","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q59155463"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/dallas-fire-station-no-16-97000363/"}