A visit to Fire Station No. 6

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.