Nevada City Firehouse No. 2
Why it's listed
Firehouse No. 2 is a red brick building at 420 Broad Street in Nevada City, about 16 feet wide and 30 feet deep, with a gabled front, a two-story white wooden portico and an iron outside stair to the second floor. A square cupola holding the fire bell was added some years after construction. Its origins lie in the fires that damaged the city between 1851 and 1858. Local women raised $1,072.50 through a ball and a theatrical show in 1859 and 1860 to start a fire department. Rival Main Street and Broad Street factions then formed companies, and the Broad Street group, helped by a further public subscription, built the city's first permanent firehouse between October 1860 and January 1861. It is described as the only original firehouse in Nevada City still in use, and its Classic Revival design reflects the styles early California settlers brought from the East Coast.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it Nevada City's first permanent firehouse and the first built with funds raised by public subscription. It is the only original firehouse in the city still in use. It is also presented as a good example of simple Classic Revival public architecture of the Mother Lode region.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000544, listed May 3, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 420 Broad St., Nevada City |
|---|---|
| County | Nevada County |
| Listed | May 3, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000544 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (started 19 Oct. 1860; completed Jan. 17, 1861) |
| Architectural style | Classic Revival, with vestiges of Greek Revival (cornice returns) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and unaltered; still in use housing fire department apparatus, with the second floor used for Camp Fire and Girl Scout meetings. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | Nevada City Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.26304, -121.02020 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000544.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7003381
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.