Fire Stations of Oahu
Encyclopedia
The Honolulu Fire Department
(HFD) operates their 44 Fire Stations on the Island of Oahu, and in and around Honolulu. Seven current or former stations are on the National Register of Historic Places
, of which five are still in use today as fire stations.
By the 1920s, the accepted style for most public architecture in Honolulu, Hawaii
, was Spanish Mission Revival or, more broadly, Mediterranean Revival. Five fire stations built on Oahu between 1924 and 1932 illustrate this stylistic congruence, despite being designed by three different architects. The prototype for all five appears to have been Palama Fire Station, built in 1901 and designed by Oliver G. Traphagen
. Honolulu's Central Fire Station, remodeled in 1934, is larger but somewhat similar in style, although with Art Deco
embellishments. All seven buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places
on 2 December 1980, even though Palama Fire Station had been added separately on 21 April 1976.
All seven fire stations are box-shaped, two-story structures, with engine bays on the ground floor and dormitories upstairs. All have drying towers, which were required for the cloth-covered rubber hoses of the era in which they were built, but which also serve as visual landmarks and decorative elements. The buildings are all of sturdy masonry
, with white stucco walls and tiled roofs, in a Mediterranean style. The Waikiki Fire Station on Kapahulu Avenue followed a similar model when it was built in 1927, but it was extensively remodeled in 1963 to fit an evolving Hawaiian rather than Mediterranean style, so it was excluded from the National Register application.
and C.W. Dickey in the Richardsonian Romanesque
style that dominated the downtown area at that time. The Makiki Fire Station was a two-story wooden building designed by Ripley and Dickey in 1899. At the time he relocated to Honolulu in 1897, Oliver G. Traphagen
had already designed many public buildings in Duluth, Minnesota
. During the turn-of-the-century building boom after annexation, he soon became one of the busiest architects in the Territory
. When he was commissioned to design the Palama Fire Station in 1901, he gave it a Mediterranean look very different from that of the Romanesque Kakaako Pumping Station
he had designed the previous year.
However, the building boom faded soon afterward. Dickey relocated to Oakland, California
in 1905, and Traphagen followed in 1907, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
. The opening of the Panama Canal
in 1914 set the stage for another building boom, as both tourism and migration helped fuel rapid growth during the 1920s. Many nationally known architects opened offices in the islands, and their designs often reflected a California regional style heavily influenced by the work of Bertram Goodhue
at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. Dickey reopened an office in Honolulu in 1920 and moved back to the islands in 1925. The new fire stations of the 1920s and 1930s more closely reflected California regional styles than did Traphagen's prototype in 1901.
Honolulu Fire Department
The Honolulu Fire Department, popularly known as the HFD, is the principal firefighting agency of the City & County of Honolulu under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Honolulu...
(HFD) operates their 44 Fire Stations on the Island of Oahu, and in and around Honolulu. Seven current or former stations are on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, of which five are still in use today as fire stations.
By the 1920s, the accepted style for most public architecture in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, was Spanish Mission Revival or, more broadly, Mediterranean Revival. Five fire stations built on Oahu between 1924 and 1932 illustrate this stylistic congruence, despite being designed by three different architects. The prototype for all five appears to have been Palama Fire Station, built in 1901 and designed by Oliver G. Traphagen
Oliver G. Traphagen
Oliver G. Traphagen was an American architect who designed many notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota during the late 19th century and in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century. Among his most famous landmarks are the Oliver G...
. Honolulu's Central Fire Station, remodeled in 1934, is larger but somewhat similar in style, although with Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
embellishments. All seven buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on 2 December 1980, even though Palama Fire Station had been added separately on 21 April 1976.
All seven fire stations are box-shaped, two-story structures, with engine bays on the ground floor and dormitories upstairs. All have drying towers, which were required for the cloth-covered rubber hoses of the era in which they were built, but which also serve as visual landmarks and decorative elements. The buildings are all of sturdy masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
, with white stucco walls and tiled roofs, in a Mediterranean style. The Waikiki Fire Station on Kapahulu Avenue followed a similar model when it was built in 1927, but it was extensively remodeled in 1963 to fit an evolving Hawaiian rather than Mediterranean style, so it was excluded from the National Register application.
History
In 1901, just after the devastating Chinatown fire of 1900, the city of Honolulu had three fire stations. The Central Fire Station at that time was a lava-rock building of two-and-a-half stories designed in 1896 by Clinton Briggs RipleyClinton Briggs Ripley
Clinton Briggs Ripley was an American architect active in Honolulu, Hawaii, from the 1890s until the 1920s. He arrived from California in 1891 at the age of 42, became Commissioner of Patents in 1894, then formed a partnership with a junior but well-connected local architect, C.W...
and C.W. Dickey in the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style that dominated the downtown area at that time. The Makiki Fire Station was a two-story wooden building designed by Ripley and Dickey in 1899. At the time he relocated to Honolulu in 1897, Oliver G. Traphagen
Oliver G. Traphagen
Oliver G. Traphagen was an American architect who designed many notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota during the late 19th century and in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century. Among his most famous landmarks are the Oliver G...
had already designed many public buildings in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. During the turn-of-the-century building boom after annexation, he soon became one of the busiest architects in the Territory
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
. When he was commissioned to design the Palama Fire Station in 1901, he gave it a Mediterranean look very different from that of the Romanesque Kakaako Pumping Station
Kakaako Pumping Station
The Kakaako Pumping Station in Honolulu, Hawaii was designed by architect Oliver G. Traphagen in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. He also designed many such bold stone public works buildings in Duluth, Minnesota....
he had designed the previous year.
However, the building boom faded soon afterward. Dickey relocated to Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
in 1905, and Traphagen followed in 1907, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. The opening of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in 1914 set the stage for another building boom, as both tourism and migration helped fuel rapid growth during the 1920s. Many nationally known architects opened offices in the islands, and their designs often reflected a California regional style heavily influenced by the work of Bertram Goodhue
Bertram Goodhue
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was a American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for the Merrymount Press.-Early career:...
at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. Dickey reopened an office in Honolulu in 1920 and moved back to the islands in 1925. The new fire stations of the 1920s and 1930s more closely reflected California regional styles than did Traphagen's prototype in 1901.