The Origins of Engine House No. 2

In 1938, the city applied for and received Public Works Administration (PWA) approval for funding the construction of a second fire station, a deep well, and an elevated water tank. Land was purchased for its construction in the fall of 1938, when a 1,345-ft well, 28 inches in diameter at the top and 20 inches in diameter at the bottom, was dug for over $16,000 by the firm of C.W. Varner of Dubuque (GG 08/12/1938, 08/29/1938). State PWA engineer Klise was on site for that work. The next goal of building a fire house on the site did not come to fruition until a March 6, 1939 city council meeting, in which design plans for the current fire sub-station. Engine House No. 2, were approved (Enright 2001:3-4; GG 8/13/1938, 8/22/1938a, 8/22/1938b).

The design plans for Engine House No. 2 were submitted by the local firm of Hansen & Waggoner. At the March 22, 1939 council meeting, the council approved the bid by International Harvester Company to supply the water pumper for this sub-station at a cost of $8,073. The council awarded the construction contract to local firm of Rye & Henkel. Construction of the Engine House No. 2 and the adjacent water tower was overseen L.J. Klise, a PWA engineer, and Carl Patchen, Mason City’s Superintendent of City Water. As was typical with PWA projects, 45% of the funding came from the federal program and 55% from municipal sources. There was no city bond to fund the project (Enright 2001:3-4; GG 3/22/1939, 4/3/1939, 4/8/1939; 8/7/1939a, 8/7/1939b).

The design for Engine House No. 2 was considered to be very up-to-date with many modern amenities and stylistic appointments (such as its steel kitchen set), and the PWA Moderne design was noted for being current as well (GG 5/1/1939, 8-6-1939). But not only was the building lauded locally, it garnered national attention too. The New York-based magazine of Fire Engineering ran two articles about the Engine House No. 2. The first of these articles was run in the August 1, 1939 issue and focused mostly on the exterior design. It showed an illustration of a model that was made to show the building’s exterior and how it could be complimented by careful landscaping. It also showed the new elevated water tank and the relationship with potential landscaping along S. Federal Avenue; this article also had a detailed floorplan of the building. The second article to run in this magazine was published on May 1, 1940. It reviewed the process of design and construction for the building and new equipment for the department. This article included a photograph of the building and men atop the new fire engine (Fire Engineering 1939, 1940).

A 1939 report from the Mason City Fire Department, summarized the creation of the new company for Engine House No. 2, and how preparations and training were organized:

During the year, a beautiful station was erected at 2020-South Federal Avenue from P.W.A. and city funds to house Engine Company No. 2. The Engine company was formed and organized on September 1st 1939 at headquarters and its apparatus a 750-gallon triple combination pumper on an International chassis and equipment by Peter Pirsch was delivered… [the] company operated out of Headquarters until December 1, 1939, when City Manager Herbert T. Barclay ordered company to move into its new quarters… This is one of the finest stations in the country and of which Mason City is very proud. A drill ground and training field was also provided between the fire station and the 1,000,000-gallon high tank, and a four-story drill tower is to be provided and it is hoped it will be ready for the spring and summer training of the department… Present day industrial development and conditions in the city present many new problems for firemen, unthought of twenty years ago. Conditions arising call for training of firemen, and this can only be done properly on a drill ground and drill tower… New men can only learn this way and old men improve in the proper handling of equipment (MCFD 1939b).

The 1939-1940 Annual Report of the Mason City Fire Department chronicled much of the same details, adding details about the nearby well and elevated water tank. It also detailed the open house that was held at Engine House No. 2 on December 16 and 17, 1939. This open house had been publicized prior to and recapped in detail after the event, in the local newspaper (GG 12/4/1939, 12/18/1939). It also noted that the city was divided into two territories for the two companies. The document ended with personnel assignments for the two engine companies, the salvage company, combination company, and for the reserve (MCFD 1940; MCFD 1939A; Mason City Story 1953).

Initial Staff of Engine House No. 2.

These six original staff persons allowed for a rotation of two 24-hour shifts. Supervising this staff, and operating out of the Central Fire Station, was department chief Daniel H. Shire (MCFD 1940). The primary operations and messaging came from the central station as well.

Despite this massive improvement and the creation of a second engine company, the city experienced increased fire damages for the period of 1939-40. The 1940 report stated that the year ending on March 31 saw 315 total calls, “of which 262 were accrual fires; 1 was false and 42 were miscellaneous calls,” and that, “the fire loss of $23,106.19 was not as low as the year 1938-39 and was greater than the calendar year 1939” (MCFD 1940). Overall trends improved shortly thereafter, however (Fire Engineering 1940).

In 1950, the local newspaper ran small biographies on the department’s then-current roster of firefighters. Among those noted as serving Engine House No. 2 were Lt. Harold H. Hutchins, who headed the first battalion; Lt. Frank A. Hesse, who headed the second battalion; Lyle E. Gardinier, who was assigned to this station as soon as it opened and drove the truck for the first battalion; Leo D. King, a plugman; and Douglas C. Fields. Many of the firefighters detailed throughout the broader department were World War II veterans (Meet Your Firemen 1950; GG 3/8/1939, 12/4/1939, 3/2/1940, 3/8/1940).

Engine House No. 2 was a progressive approach to the needs facing Mason City at that time. On a micro scale, the fire house helped serve the people of the south side of the city. As noted in the 2001 state inventory form: the people of the developing Rolling Acres subdivision and others in the area were growing at that time. On occasion the staff of Engine House No. 2 would be notified of long trains blocking the routes at SW 19th Street and at S. Federal Avenue, and sometimes fire engine No. 2 would be moved to the other side of the tracks in case of emergencies. The central fire station would be responsible then for covering the north parts of the south side during those times. On a macro scale it was part of New Deal programming that helped push employment in the area (Enright 2001:4).

The operations of this engine house were municipally funded, as staff/personnel positions within the whole fire department had been paid since 1909. Engine House No. 2 was one of four full-time companies within the whole department; all were subordinate to the chief and his staff who operated out of the Central Fire Stations during the entire period of significance. The company at Engine House No. 2 was divided into two battalions (allowing for a rotation of two 24-hour shifts). All staff were to be used as reserve firefighters in case of large fires. This company employed six or more men at any one time and contributed to the community as a means of employment in addition to fire prevention, firefighting, security, and other miscellaneous duties. On June 1, 1953, the Globe-Gazette had a special Centennial history section about that noted the "south fire station" was closed during WWII for lack of manpower. This has yet to be corroborated, but other newspaper articles recount how Engine House No. 2 was closed for about two weeks to accommodate the reconstruction of South Federal Avenue, so it is certain that reports of continual operation out the building are inaccurate. Nothing could be found about its operation or lack thereof during World War II, and this could be an avenue for further research. After World War II, the broader department hired many Army and Navy veterans. The fire department held an annual fundraising ball, which was a significant part of the community’s culture during that time.

After 34 years of service to the community, Mason City’s Engine House No. 2 was closed in 1973. In a 1972 article about the decision, fire chief John Holt suggested the consolidation of men and equipment to a central location would provide efficiency within the department and that it would allow for more effective firefighting, especially around the large buildings of the business district where greater numbers may be warranted. Holt mentioned that the city never grew southward as much as was expected at the time of the building’s construction, and he stressed that the houses in that area would still be safe and effectively protected with the new, centralized operation (Mason City Story 1953; GG 05/18/1972).