Fire Station No. 4
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
Fire Station #4 stands at the northwest corner of South Sixth and Bedford Streets in New Bedford. Built in 1867, the brick building has a hip roof angled toward the intersection, brick corbeling at the cornice, and a hose tower with Romanesque detailing. Heavy lintels and posts frame the wide vehicle doors, which were widened in the early 1900s when motor vehicles replaced horse-drawn pumpers. A stable wing on the west side was raised to two stories before 1890, and an addition designed by Frank Avrilio housed the department's repair shop. The station is recognized as the oldest operational fire station in New Bedford and, so far as is known, in Massachusetts. Firefighters keep daily log books from 1867 to 1913 recording fires, equipment purchases and meetings. A. M. Howland, station foreman in 1867 and later mayor, was associated with it. The station still answers alarms, and the addition was being prepared as a firefighting museum.
Significance in brief: The station is described as the oldest operational fire station in New Bedford and, so far as is known, in Massachusetts. Its original log books run from 1867 to 1913. The building and the equipment housed in it reflect the growth of the New Bedford Fire Department and of urban fire departments generally.
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 75000250, listed July 24, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 79 S. 6th St., New Bedford |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 24, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000250 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | nineteenth century (specific date 1867) |
| Architect / builder | Frank Avrilio (designer of the west addition) |
| Architectural style | Federal Colonial (Adam's style) with Romanesque detailing and Romanesque Revival elements |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in operation as a fire station; the west addition was being rehabilitated to house a Firemen's Museum at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | County Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.62823, -70.92668 (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 75000250.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7005460
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.