Fire Engine House No. 9
1810--1812 Keene St., Houston, TXHouston's Fire Engine House No. 9 was erected in 1899 to serve the rapidly expanding Fifth Ward. Five firemen, a horse-drawn hose wagon, and a steam pumper were housed here until around 1908. After that time the building was used to store a Hayes Aerial Truck. The Fire Department has not used the building since the 1920s; rather, it has been occupied by a mattress company and a roofer, who made no major alterations. The fire company of Station No. 9 was an outgrowth of the old volunteer group founded in 1881 as Curtin No. 9, said to have been one of the best units of the early Houston Fire Department. Fire Engine House No. 9 is both architecturally and historically significant. Many fine features remain on the building which was designed by William A. McMillen, a well-known Houston architect. The structure is a good example of firehouses dating from this period in Houston's history. It's historical associations with the beginnings of the professional fire department here, and its importance in the development of the Fifth Ward, are both noteworthy.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.