Misplaced Pages

Fire Station No. 30–Engine Company No. 30
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
File:Fire Station No. 30, June 2011
Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan areaShow map of CaliforniaShow map of the United States
Location	1401 S. Central Ave., South Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°01′41.24″N 118°14′49.82″W / 34.0281222°N 118.2471722°W / 34.0281222; -118.2471722
Architect	James Backus, Superintendent of Building, City of Los Angeles
Architectural style	Prairie School
NRHP reference No.	09000148
Added to NRHP	March 17, 2009

Fire Station No. 30, Engine Company No. 30 is a historic fire station and engine company in the South Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1913, its white firemen served a predominantly white neighborhood.

The demographics became more mixed in the 1920s, and in 1924 the firehouse was segregated. By 1930 the neighborhood was predominately black. Only Black firemen served here until 1956, when the department was integrated. Now the neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic.

Closed in 1980, the building was adapted for use as the African American Firefighter Museum (AAFFM). The AAFFM features vintage fire equipment and apparatus, memorabilia, histories and photos of pioneering African-American firefighters in Los Angeles. Other displays include photos, artifacts and memorabilia of African American firefighters, officers and historical women fire service professionals from around the country. The Museum is open to the public and is strictly volunteer and donation driven.

History

The two-story structure was designed in the Prairie School style and was built in 1913.

The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 pursuant to the registration requirements for fire stations set forth in a multiple property submission study, the African Americans in Los Angeles MPS. It was the first of two all-black segregated fire stations in Los Angeles. Fire Station No. 30, and its resident Engine Company No. 30, was segregated in 1924. It remained segregated until 1956, when the Los Angeles Fire Department was integrated. According to the registration form supporting the station's listing on the National Register, "All-black fire stations were simultaneous representations of racial segregation and sources of community pride."

Other buildings listed pursuant to the same African Americans in Los Angeles MPS include Fire Station No. 14 (the second all-black segregated fire station in Los Angeles), Angelus Funeral Home, Lincoln Theater, Second Baptist Church, 28th Street YMCA, Prince Hall Masonic Temple, 52nd Place Historic District, 27th Street Historic District.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles, California
• Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial
• Los Angeles Fire Department
• The Stentorians

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ Teresa Grimes and Jay Fantone, Christopher A. Joseph & Associates (June 1, 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Fire Station #30, Engine Company #30" (PDF). LA Conservancy. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011.
3. Teresa Grimes, Christopher A. Joseph & Associates (December 31, 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form for Historic Resources Associated with African Americans in Los Angeles" (PDF). caltek.net. Retrieved June 11, 2011.

External links

• Official website of the African American Firefighter Museum

• Firefighting museums in California
• Museums in Los Angeles
• South Los Angeles
• Fire stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles
• Defunct fire stations in California
• Fire stations completed in 1913
• 1913 establishments in California
• 1910s architecture in the United States
• Prairie School architecture in California
• African-American segregation in the United States
• African-American museums in California