Historic Engine House

Historic Engine House. . Skokie's historic "Engine House" has been part of the Village landscape since construction in 1887. Many trace the origin of the building to growing concerns about fire especially after the Great Chicago Fire swept through the nearby big city in 1871. , , In the 1860s, Niles Centre (now Skokie) began to grow at the intersection of two Native American trails, Niles Center Road and Lincoln Avenue, with approximately 200 people living in the area. After the Chicago Fire reduced much of Chicago to cinder, many Chicagoans relocated north to Niles Centre. Based upon the new residents' experience, a bucket brigade was formed to combat the fire threat. With no official home, the brigade local taverns. , , As Niles Center slowly grew, wooden buildings were constructed in the downtown area, increasing the threat of fire. In 1881, the home of the Iserman family burned to the ground revealing the ineffectiveness of the bucket brigade. In response, George C. Klehm and other town leaders met at Kleb's General Store and formed the Niles Centre Volunteer Fire Company. The company then purchased a Rumsey Hand Pumper, a horse drawn ladder truck and a hose reel cart. These first pieces of Niles Centre fire apparatus are presently on display in the Engine House. , , In 1884, the Niles Centre Volunteer Fire Company was incorporated. Stock was sold to raise funds to construct a building. Two years later, Ludwig and Gertrude Schmitz donated a parcel of land to construct the Engine House. The building was completed in 1887 using local materials and labor, much of which was also donated. , , The first floor of the Engine House was designed with two equipment bays, an office and stairway leading from the front door up to the second floor and back down to the rear door. Fire hose were often placed on this stairway to drain and dry. The second floor contained a large meeting hall with a barrel ceiling and musicians gallery. A year after construction, two jail cells were installed on the first floor beneath the stairs. In 1898, a bell tower was erected to sound alarms. , , In 1888, local residents voted in the meeting hall to incorporate the Village of Niles Centre. For several months in 1897, the second floor served as a school while the Niles Center Public School building was completed. The upstairs meeting hall was rented for weddings, parties, dances, church gatherings and boxing matches. Local organizations and village board meetings were also held here. In 1922, the Village purchased the Engine House from the Volunteer Fire Company and continued to use the building as a fire house, village hall and jail until 1927 when the new Village Hall was built on Oakton Street. The second floor was remodeled in 1947 to create sleeping quarters for firemen. , , This building continued to serve as a working firehouse until 1969, when a new station opened at the corner of Niles Center Road and Fargo Avenue. It then served as the offices of the Skokie Health Department, and in 1982, became the home of the Skokie Historical Society. In 1991, title to the Engine Home passed from the Village to the Skokie Park District, which then restored the building to its late 19th Century appearance. Today, the Engine House is operated by the Skokie Park District as the Skokie Heritage Museum and serves as the home of the Skokie Historical Society. , , The Museum now houses a permanent fire department exhibit on its first floor which includes photographs, fire fighting equipment and apparatus. The second floor is dedicated to rotating exhibits.