Fire Station No. 1
Why it's listed
Fire Station No. One, at 13 East Church Avenue in Roanoke, is a brick firehouse completed by 1908 and designed by the Lynchburg firm Huggins and Bates. Its facade is built of smooth pressed brick over a rusticated ground floor, with a wood Corinthian cornice, terra cotta pilaster capitals and a pedimented cupola with an arcaded belfry and small dome. A tall hose tower rises at the rear. Inside, the first-floor concrete is ridged to give horses traction, the ceilings are stamped metal, and brass poles drop from the second floor. Upstairs are a large sleeping room with built-in lockers and two haylofts with hoists. The station still operates as a firehouse and has seen few alterations. It was recognized as an excellent example of Edwardian-era firehouse design and as a rare record of early-twentieth-century firefighting life. It also reflects the civic pride of a young Roanoke, whose designers aimed to give the city a dignified building.
Significance in brief: It is presented as an excellent example of Edwardian-era firehouse architecture, with a richly embellished facade in the English Renaissance style of Sir Christopher Wren. It survives almost completely unaltered and gives rare insight into the life of an early-twentieth-century fireman. It is also described as a monument to the civic pride of early Roanoke.
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 73002224, listed May 7, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 13 E. Church Ave., Roanoke (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Roanoke (city and county) |
| Listed | May 7, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002224 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1907-08 |
| Architect / builder | Huggins and Bates (Lynchburg architectural firm) |
| Architectural style | Edwardian era firehouse; English Renaissance style of Sir Christopher Wren |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Operating firehouse in good condition, maintained in a good state of repair; owned by the City of Roanoke. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Within district | Roanoke Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.27007, -79.93980 (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 73002224.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5451468
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.