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In 1937, Fire Station 11 was designed in the Art Deco style. Now, it’s decorated with wooden boards and graffiti. The city is hoping a buyer fixes it up while preserving its historical feel. Photo by Barry Whitehead.

By Matthew Martinez

A former architect, Barry Whitehead is attracted to interesting buildings.

One vacant building, out of place amid looming townhouses and grandiose homes, often caught his eye. The squat building, boarded up and dressed in graffiti, was old Fire Station 11.

In early spring, Whitehead, project manager for the Fire Department, noticed that Station 11 and two other architecturally significant stations were on the city’s surplus property list.

“I nearly had a small cardiac thinking about those stations being sold,” Whitehead said.

Having grown up in San Antonio, a city with a long history of protecting structures and monuments, Whitehead knows the value of safeguarding the past.

“Preserving our history is a vital part of the fabric of our community,” he said. “It helps people feel connected to the community and to the world around them.”

So Whitehead began the historic preservation process to keep the stations standing and retain their historical charm.

Fabric of our community
Station 6, 901 Henderson St., was built in 1931 in the Craftsman Bungalow style popular at that time. Station 27, 6302 Lyons Ave., was built in 1940 in the Classic Revival style.

Old No. 11, as it is fondly called, was built at 4520 Washington Avenue in 1937 and designed in the Art Deco style.

Each is the only remaining example of a station designed in those architectural styles.

As project manager, Whitehead visits building sites and works alongside architects and engineers to ensure the city gets what it pays for. Historic preservation is his personal passion.

“I thought, ‘Those are some pretty neat old stations. Maybe we can get markers on them of some kind,’” he said.

He contacted Randy Pace, historic preservation officer in Planning & Development. Pace researched the stations’ histories and filed the landmark designation reports that document their relevance to the city’s history.

Saved
In May, City Council designated old Station 6, old Station 11, and old Station 27 as protected landmarks, preserving them from future demolition, relocation, exterior alteration and new construction.

The stations will still be sold, but the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission can closely regulate alterations.

Appointed by the mayor, the 11-member board of citizens reviews applications for historic designation, makes recommendations and regulates alterations to historical structures.

Under a 1995 Historic Preservation Ordinance, landmarks can be altered in any way after a 90-day waiting period without approval – and without the property tax exemption that comes with landmark status.

In August 2005, City Council amended the ordinance to create the protected landmark status. These three stations are among 20 structures designated as protected landmarks. Old Station 14 in the Heights and old Station 7, the Houston Fire Museum, are included also.

The ordinance protecting landmarks and neighborhoods preserves the environment as it was built, Pace said.

“It allows communities to maintain their individual character and gives people a sense of Houston, a sense of place,” he said.

For years, the stations were used for storage. Now, they will have the chance to benefit the community just as they did in their heyday, while preserving history.

Pace sees the protected landmark designation as an opportunity for the city and buyers.

“It satisfies our mission,” he said. “What the community wants is some part of their past preserved. This is ensuring that. It’s a win-win situation.”

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