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Sixth Ward

A visit to Fire Station No. 6

May 15, 2012
Sixth Ward, Uncategorized

Preservation Houston had the chance this morning to tour historic Fire Station No. 6 in Houston’s Sixth Ward. Built in 1903, the station is now the home of Axiom, a design and marketing agency. Axiom’s Tom Hair and David Yarbrough showed us around the building and discussed the company’s restoration work, which was completed earlier this year.

The restoration work involved retaining and recreating many of the building’s historic features, including sheet-metal trim, pine flooring, wood-framed windows and millwork and — of course — two fireman’s poles. A new addition is partly faced in the same Cedar Bayou brick as the 1903 building. The finished product is a wonderful example of how a turn-of-the-century building can find new life while keeping its historic character.

Learn more about the history of the building and the restoration at www.firestation6.com. (Be sure to check out the Fire Station No. 6 T-shirts for sale — a portion of sales benefits the  Houston Fire Museum.)


Fire Station No. 6 (1903). Photos by Jim Parsons.

Knapp Chevrolet reinstated as GM dealer

June 7, 2010
Sixth Ward

Knapp Chevrolet will remain in business in its historic streamlined showroom at 815 Houston Avenue. A year ago, General Motors notified the longtime Chevy dealer and about 1000 other dealerships nationwide that their franchise agreements were not being renewed.

After the federal bailout of the carmaker, Congress passed and President Obama signed a law setting up an arbitration process allowing the dealers to appeal GM’s decision. The Houston car dealer, in business since 1939, has learned that its appeal was successful and it will continue as a Chevrolet dealer.

Knapp Chevrolet’s showroom was completed in 1941 from a design by architects R. Newell Waters and E. Kelly Gafney. To see a historic photo of the building, please visit GHPA’s Houston Deco website.

GHPA thanks all its members who contacted General Motors and signed Knapp Chevrolet’s online petition.

Photo: Knapp Chevrolet (photo by Jim Parsons)

Help save Knapp Chevrolet

November 17, 2009
Sixth Ward

General Motors has notified Knapp Chevrolet that the Houston dealership is being considered for termination. GHPA is working with the Knapp family to increase public awareness of the possible loss of this heritage business. The company not only occupies a landmark art deco building on Houston Avenue, the local dealership is a vital part of Houston’s commercial history.

Please sign the company’s online petition at www.saveknappchevy.com and forward the link to your family and friends. Other dealerships around the country have attributed their success in overcoming termination to massive outpourings of community support. Knapp Chevrolet hopes to gather at least 100,000 signatures, the number of cars sold since the dealership first opened in 1939.

GM policy currently favors suburban dealerships over urban locations. For 70 years, Knapp Chevrolet has been a fixture near downtown Houston. With more than 80 employees, it is a profitable business in an area that has experienced a resurgence in residential development.

• Read Knapp Chevrolet president Robert Knapp’s testimony on dealership closings at a Congressional hearing on GM’s bankruptcy in July.

• Visit Knapp Chevrolet’s listing at Houston Deco.

Photo: Knapp Chevrolet (photo by Jim Parsons)