Historic Firehouses of Louisville

[1] [2] Louisville's first fire brigades were established in 1780, two years after the city's creation.

The first firehouses were volunteer fire departments scattered throughout the city, but on June 1, 1858, the city of Louisville took control, and replaced the hand engines with five steam engines and volunteers with paid staff.

[1] The current fire department headquarters, at 1135 W. Jefferson Street (just outside downtown Louisville), was built in 1936 by the WPA.

This limestone edifice is one of the few buildings in Louisville built in the Art Deco style.

[1] When the fire department moved out, the former headquarters became home to the police traffic bureau and eventually became the Louisville Sinking Fund Building.