| The Independent Fire Company engine house, currently called Engine House No. 6, predates the Baltimore City Fire Department itself. Built between 1853 and 1854 by Reasin & Wetherald, it was the third building erected by the volunteer fire fighters group to house its equipment. In 1858, when the City of Baltimore established a paid Fire Department, they purchased the building for $8,000. Engine House No. 6 is the only engine house remaining from that era of the City’s history.Architecturally unique, Engine House No. 6 has a 103-foot brick Italianate-Gothic tower which is said to be a copy of Giotto’s campanile in Florence, Italy. In 1874, the City of Baltimore added a stone facade, but few changes have occurred otherwise. Recently the building stopped housing the firefighters and equipment in order to host the Baltimore City Fire Museum.
Engine House No. 6 is located at 416 North Gay St. at the corner of Gay and Ensor Sts. Now the Baltimore City Fire Museum, it is open Thursday 9:30am to 12:00pm, Friday 6:30pm to 9:30pm, and Sunday 1:00pm to 4:00pm, and by appointment. Call 410-727-2414 for further information. |
Engine House No.6, Photo by G. S. Redden, National Register of Historic Places |