Number 4 Hook and Ladder Company

No. 4 Hook and Ladder Company, commonly called the Oak Lawn Fire Station, represents an era of high-quality public architecture in Dallas. One of only two prototypical stations left in the city, this station is a good example of Prairie School architecture with Mission Style embellishments. Constructed in 1909 at Dallas' first "suburban" fire station, the structure serves as a tangible link to the past and a focal point for the Oak Lawn Community.

Dallas, at the turn of the century, experienced substantial population gains and large-scale suburban development. Along with these developments came the need for increased city services and protection. Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs was a highly attractive area and developed rapidly requiring Dallas' first suburban fire station. The Oak Lawn Station solidly attests to the physical presence of the City of Dallas with its attendant services and advantages. This was important historically and continues to exert influence to the present.
The Oak Lawn Fire Station, since its 1909 inception, has been the focal point of the Oak Lawn Community as well as the Cedar Springs streetscape. The station's strong and massive design has represented stability and security throughout its seventy-one-year history. This simple and massive design combines with adjoining low-rise commercial frontage to project a pleasing architectural expression to the Cedar Springs area. The station has easily become the accepted visual landmark there. As the Oak Lawn area continues to experience a new pattern of development and a new image begins to surface, the station's importance as a vital element in maintaining an identity with the past becomes more important.

Constructed in 1909, the Oak Lawn Fire Station reflects the influence of the American Prairie Style as created and perfected by Frank Lloyd Wright in suburban Chicago at the turn of the century era. Influences of this style are evident in public and residential architecture throughout Dallas. Homes in South Boulevard/Park Row, Swiss Avenue and Munger Place share architectural characteristics with the Oak Lawn Fire Station such as window treatment, eave overhang, strong vertical and horizontal emphasis, material application, and level of detail.

The station was designed by the prominent Dallas architect Herbert M. Greene and is one of the last examples of the American Prairie School found in public architecture in Dallas. Mr. Greene practiced architecture in Dallas for thirty-five years and was a partner of E.B. LaRoche and George L. Dahl for several years. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was a past President of the Texas Chapter of that organization before it was divided into three sections, and was a member of the North Texas Chapter of the institute. Mr. Greene was among the first in the south to receive the honor of fellowship in the institute. Among buildings designed by Mr. Greene before his association with LaRoche and Dahl were Scottish Rite Cathedrals at Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, and Joplin, MO; the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children, in Dallas; Temple Emanu-El, the First Church of Christ Scientists, Parkland Hospital, the John Deer Plow Company Building, the City National Bank Building, and the Dallas News Building. He also designed numerous buildings for the University of Texas including the football stadium at Clark Field, the biology building, the Scottish Rite Dormitory, Garrison Hall, the Littlefield Memorial Dormitory at Austin and the laboratory building at Galveston.

The Oak Lawn Fire station's link with the past goes beyond the physical bounds of its brick exterior, into the hearts and minds of the City of Dallas firefighters who began their careers there in years past, as well as those presently working there. Reminders of early days are evident throughout the structure. At one time, the station housed horse-drawn fire equipment. Evidence of this era is seen in remnants of the horse stalls and hay loft still visible in the station. As fire stations across the nation have increasingly turned to one-story structures with private bedrooms and baths for each firefighter, the two-story Oak Lawn Fire Station is a tangible testament to the comradery felt by the men who share common sleeping, dining, and living quarters, some- times for several days on end.