Maywood Fire Department Building
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1904 at the corner of 5th Avenue and St. Charles Road, this two-story buff-brick firehouse served as Maywood's first public fire station. Before it opened, firefighting relied on volunteers, with equipment scattered around the village and a horse-drawn wagon kept at an undertaker's. Village leaders then chose to build a station, buy horses and hire a full-time fireman. The building follows the storefront firehouse type: a narrow, three-bay front, apparatus on the ground floor and sleeping quarters above. Its corbelled, stepped gable reflects Dutch influence, while red brick bands and wood oriel windows recall the Queen Anne houses common in Maywood in the 1890s. A square hose drying tower rises at the rear. Inside, the original pressed metal ceiling, two fire poles and exposed brick walls survive. The building is now used for professional offices. It was listed for its architecture and its high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it meets Criterion C as the most architecturally significant municipal building in Maywood. It blends Victorian picturesqueness with the literal historicism that followed the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, in the storefront type of firehouse. It was also the village's first public fire station and its oldest building associated with fire prevention.
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 92000492, listed May 22, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 511 St. Charles Rd., Maywood |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | May 22, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000492 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Dutch Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used for professional offices; the second floor has been partitioned into offices, while the original finishes, fire poles and hose drying tower remain. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.88822, -87.84005 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 92000492.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q60747666
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.