Fire Station No. 6 is one of the forgotten fire stations of Galveston, Texas. This news article will explore some of the history behind Fire Station No. 6.
Fire Station No. 6 was constructed during the Great Depression in 1932. The fire station was constructed as part of a bond to replace an older structure. Fire Station No. 6 replaced an older structure on the site which was also a fire station.
Here Fire Station No. 6 also served as a polling place when voting was taking place and during elections throughout the 1920s. Fire Station No. 6 had served as a polling place many times during that decade. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/22036973/)
In 1934, an ordinance was adopted approving contract between the city and Charles H. Oehler for improvements and additions to fire stations 4, 6 and 7 and an appropriation, of $11,519.94 was voted for current expenses. Fire Station No. 6 near 37th and Avenue J aka Broadway was one of the many fire stations to be repaired with several modifications and renovations in 1934. Improvements to Fire Station No. 6 were made during that year. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, FIRE STATIONS TO BE REPAIRED, April 6, 1934)
William J. Henderson, an officer at Fire Station No. 6, will nominated chief of the Galveston Fire Department on the date of May 29, 1947. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/23383054/)
Galveston Daily News reported asked voters to consider the following for expenditures under the Housing and Community Development Act in 1975. This included relocation of Fire Station No. 6 on 37th Street and Broadway. However this did not happen as Fire Station No. 6 continued to operate as a fire station. William J. Henderson was still chief of the Galveston Fire Department. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10828435/)
Consider the following for expenditures under the Housing and Community Development Act:
1. Expansion of the present building at Wright-Cuney Park including tennis courts and a swimming pool.
2. Major street improvements of Post Office and Church.
3. Re-routing of the cotton-trailer traffic further north to Industrial Boulevard.
4. Relocation of Fire Station No. 6 (37th and Broadway) to the area near 31st and Market.
5. Construction of a major recreational site on the Bay-View Flats area including a GISD football stadium and track. This should be done in conjunction with the Boys Club and St. Vincent's for possible staffing.
6. Proper lighting for the entire area with 29th and 33rd Streets made into one-way streets for improved ingress and egress. Police protection for the area.
7. Grants and low-interest loans to owners for repair and building of single-family dwellings.
8. Systematic planning for the demolition of the projects.
9. Systematic planning for the development of single-family units to replace the projects.
10. Development of community service centers including day and night care facilities.
However by 1980, plans were already being made to decommission Fire Station No. 6 by the City of Galveston. The days of Fire Station No. 6 were numbered. The city manager suggested that Fire Station No. 6 be closed and decommissioned. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12576115/)
“The city manager suggested that the fire department's Station 6 be closed. Firemen from that station would, upon council approval, be reassigned to the central station. When the new crash station is completed at Scholes Field, three firemen would be assigned there. The reassignments would negate the need to hire three new firemen, Huffman said. The city would save about $54,700.”
The City of Galveston officially closed Fire Station No. 6 on the date of August 16, 1980 as reported by the Galveston Daily News. (Ref: The Galveston Daily News, Isle fire station closes, Page 1, August 16, 1980)
“The City of Galveston officially closed Fire Station No. 6 on Broadway Friday because of an expected budget crunch. Personnel from that station will be transferred to the main station in City Hall and then transferred to the Airport Rescue Station once it is completed. The station was old and needed repairs that the city cannot afford, City Manager Steve Huffman said.”
There was much protesting over the closure and decommissioning of Fire Station No. 6 as reported by Galveston Daily News. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10175988/)
Councilmember Mel Rourke addressed council to protest the closing of Fire Station No. 6. at 37th and Broadway. The station was closed Friday. Rourke said he was in sympathy with the city's financial position as a result of the January. 1979. "Tax limitation amendments, but cuts should not be made in the area of public safety, especially the fire department." He agreed that Station 6, built in 1932, had "outlived its usefulness," but said its closing leaves the area south of Broadway and east of 50th Street without a fire station. Areas such as the wharf district Palm Terrace and "a large area of wooden houses" south of Broadway must now be served from the Central fire station, which means trucks must make "long runs through thick traffic." Rourke urged the council to reactivate Station 6, then buy property in a "central location south of Broadway," sell Station 6 and use the funds to finance construction of the new station.
Huffman said it was his decision to close the station, even though he agreed the city needed more fire protection. "I have to do a lot of things I don't like in order to live within the budget," he said. "I only have 'X' amount of dollars to work with." "You are now decreasing what is already minimal," Rourke told him "I agree we need additional fire protection," Huffman said, "but there's only so much money." "What's it costing you?" Rourke asked. Fire Capt. John Cannatella, former captain of Station 6, said the company was "vital." because it "protects the heart of Galveston." Cannatella said the fire company, between January and June, made 41 percent of ail fire department ''rolls'' or responses. He said that 80 percent of the time, the company was responsible for 3'J percent of the inhabited area of the island, "from the causeway to the lighthouse, if we could get there." Manuel, who had been out of town and said he did not know the station was already shut down, said he would “look into" the closing. If that fire company must be deleted, he said, it should be after the new budget year begins Oct. 1. and "not now, while we still have it in the budget."
According to Galveston Daily News, the protests lasted over a week long. There much outrage coming from the firefighters whom had worked at that very fire station for many years. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10182523/)
Protests over the closing of Fire Station No. 6, eliminating transportation for senior citizens, the proposed dune management ordinance and a captive lion on 39th Street gave a few council members a collective headache Thursday. City Manager Steve Huffman closed the fire station last week, which was located at 3712 Broadway last week. Its personnel was transferred to the main station at City Hall and the airport crash station which is now under construction. Huffman said he closed the station for budgetary reasons. But, several community leaders testified that station is necessary to provide adequate fire protection to the neighborhood north of Broadway and east of 26th Street. "The homes in this neighborhood are more susceptible to fire because many of the homes are old. We need a station close so that you can answer alarms quickly,"
Rev. James Thomas said. Former Mayor Mel Rourke told council members their main concern should be public safety. "The fire on 19th Street this week should have served as warning that we should not take any more chances with our luck. Keep that station open, "Rourke said. Carl Kelly told council that the neighborhood includes three Housing Authority projects which have been experiencing electrical problems because of an air conditioning overload. "I recommend keeping that station open because last year it responded to 46 percent of the calls in the city," Kelly said. Mayor Gus Manuel also supported reopening the station but council took no action on the requests. John Leatherwood, who lives on 39th Street, lightened the mood.
Residents put a lot of pressure on the wharves to contribute toward paying off the bond debt and fund construction of a fire station to replace Fire Station No. 6. Personnel from that station were transferred to the central station. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10188971/)
Several other residents appeared at a public hearing on the budget to request again that the fire station at 37th and Broadway be reopened. Huffman closed the station in August in order to save funds this budget year. Personnel from that station were transferred to the central station until the new Airport Crash Rescue Station is completed. Plans are also being made for a new station to replace the station at 37th and Broadway. Residents are putting a lot of pressure on the wharves to contribute toward paying off the bond debt and fund construction of a fire station to replace Fire Station No. 6 which closed recently.
Galveston Fire Department sold the Fire Station No. 6 property to American LaFrance and Oliver H Bassett in 1980. Fire Station No. 6 was decommissioned (shut down) and was then repurposed into an "ice house" complete with a plywood American LaFrance bar. The American LaFrance bar seemed to have been quite successful in operating as a bar. Beer, burgers are now served at Fire Station No. 6 (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16611814/, Galveston Daily News)
“Station six at 3716 Broadway, the most recent to be closed, replaced an older structure on the site. It is now an "ice house" complete with a plywood American LaFrance bar.”
Galveston Daily News lamented on five former fire stations owned by the Galveston Fire Department in a news article titled Former fire stations find new lives back in 1986 including Fire Station No. 6. Fire Station No. 6 was already decommissioned years earlier by then. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 47, Sunday, September 21, 1986)
“Five former fire stations have found new lives long after their closure and men and machine moved elsewhere. You might call it "adaptive reuse." They are ex-stations three, five, six, seven, and eight. The oldest, three and five, were built before the turn of the century under the aldermanic form of municipal government. The remaining trio were constructed in the 1930s by the city commission. Here is a summary of their fate: Former station three at 2828 Market St was closed in the late 1960s, and has a marble slab on its cascade reading "Star State Co. No. 3". It is presently used by the city's water distribution department. Veu's files show Company No. 3 originated as a private fire brigade in 1859. It was absorbed into the city's firefighting network in 1885. Records show it was shuttered after a new central station opened nearby in 1905. Station five located at 1614 Ave. K. was shut in 1955 by the late Police and Fire Commissioner Waller L. Johnston in what he termed "an economy move." It is now utilized by a genera Icon tract ing firm. Since then, stations six, seven, and eight have also been closed. Station six at 3716 Broadway, the most recent to be closed, replaced an older structure on the site. It is now an "ice house" complete with a plywood American LaFrance bar.”
Galveston Daily News criticized the urban renewal plans back in 1996. Galveston Daily News referred to Fire Station No. 6 as “some of Galveston's most prized, precious gems” in one of their news articles. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 14, Thursday, April 25, 1996)
“More than 30 years have passed since this city adopted its form of government from the commissioner form. After Hurricane Carla in 1961, fire station No. 3 at 2828 Market St. shut down. The storm was given as an excuse to raze some of Galveston's most prized, precious gems by saying the structures were weakened by the hurricane. So they went to the blast of the steel ball bursting down the reinforced steel foundations of what was the old combination of central fire, police and old City Hall, the Ursuline Academy, the county courthouse and the city auditorium. Then voters were asked to adopt urban renewal. The key word for this was progress, but how can one progress, if we destroy our past? And so the people went to the polls and turned this down by almost a 3 to 1 vote. This so-called progress was happening all over Texas by destroying buildings by explosives. East Germany sent the city $17,000 for the victims of Hurricane Carla. This was placed in the general fund of the city. Later, perhaps not in the same context, two streets were closed down. We now had a plaza for the downtown transients. The cost was $17,000 from the city, with matching funds from the downtown merchants involved. Yet, at around this time, another two fire stations, Nos. 7 and 6, were shut down, and they gave us a new Fire Station No. 3 at 50th and Avenue Q. Now, even that has been taken away. So I think it has been proven that this city manager form of government is just not worth its salt, and it's high time that we changed back to the commissioner form or the strong mayor form of government, as I can never remember the old form ever having a shortfall such as we have now.”
The Fire Station No. 6 property which Oliver H Bassett had owned was converted and transferred over to Mary Koblasz in 1999 on a probated will. (Ref: Galveston County Deeds, #2001005620)
Today Fire Station No. 6 is now home to a Mexican restaurant called El Gusto. The Fire Station No. 6 property is now owned by Gildario Lopez. (Ref: https://propaccess.trueautomation.com/clientdb/Property.aspx?cid=81&prop_id=101886)
Fire Station No. 6 was located at 3716 Broadway, Galveston, Texas, US 77550. The other address for Fire Station No. 6 was/is 3716 Avenue J, Galveston, Texas, US 77550.
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