This from Dan McInerney:
I don’t get to this part of the west side very often and completely missed this one – I don’t recall hearing about it either. Maybe some readers can fill in the blanks.Here is a picture of the exact footprint of Engine 68’s old house at 1642 N. Kostner, at the NW corner of Kostner and Grand. It was one of the PWA series of firehouses built in 1936, and was in use by E68 until 1970 when the company moved to new firehouse. This was one of two larger style single engine houses and a twin to the house E16 just left (originally E48’s house). More information can be found in the Ken Little/John McNalis History of Chicago Firehouses Volume III at 1936*6.The 1936 series of firehouses is one of my favorites, and came in both single and double bay flavors. One of the more popular versions of this house is E8/T4/Bn2 in Chinatown. Although I do think they looked better with the rounded apparatus door openings. Those of you that venture over to Fleet can see Engine 20’s house at 1320 W. Concord Place, an example of the smaller single bay firehouse that still has the rounded front.If anyone has a picture of Engine 68’s old house before the city tore it down please submit it.
The former site of Engine 68’s house in Chicago. Dan McInerney photo
#1 by Tim on February 26, 2014 - 10:50 AM
Just came across this thread, I don’t know if anyone is still reading it. Just to comment on a couple of thing. Engine 68 was actually about a quarter block North of the intersection of Grand and Kostner. Speaking of firehouses being close to each other consider the time when E76 was Cortland East of Central Park, E114 Fullerton Just east of Central Park, E91 Elbridge and Central Park and E111 Wabansia and Washtenaw.
#2 by Rich on June 18, 2013 - 8:47 PM
After the fire department was done with the house. streets & sanitation took it over. where for a long time they mixed up cyanide for rodent control. After a lot of the men that worked there started dying of cancer. they shut the building down and walked away. And then one day it was gone. I would imagine it cost a lot of money to clean the ground up. Maybe that’s why it sat for so long. I think rodent control still has the old fire house on springfield next to the pumping station.
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#3 by Bill Post on June 17, 2013 - 12:06 AM
Matthew Engine 108’s old station was located at 4835 north Lipps and not 4935.
The station was still there and is used by the city (at least the last time that I saw it).
#4 by Bill Post on June 16, 2013 - 11:28 PM
Yes Matthew Engine 89 ‘s house was closed because of construction of the Kennedy Expressway. It was originally called the Northwest Expressway when it was built.
There is a little more to it however as the station had remained in service for a few years after Engine 89 had moved out. Engine 89 was moved out because it was felt that due to the development of the Peterson Park Sauganash, Hollywood Park, and Edgebrook areas, a new fire house was warranted. The new station at 3945 W Peterson was built, and Engine 89 moved there on February 1st 1954. However, Squad Company 11 remained in service by themselves until June 11 1956, when Squad 11 moved into Engine 108’s old house at 4935 N Lipps. Then the station on Knox was finally closed down.
I remember when Squad 11 was at Engine 108’s station (which is still around). The squad was parked in front of Engine 108 in the south bay. Truck 23 was parked in the north bay. They were using a 1940’s vintage Mack tractor with an old tillered trailer that had a wooden main. It also had wood ground ladders which would hang on the side of the trailer next to the running boards. The north bay was long and wide enough that Ambulance 7 which was a Cadillac and Battalion 22 which was a 1958 Chevy Station Wagon were both parked near each other just south of Truck 23’s bay in the station. The battalion chief and Ambulance 7 would both normally drive in and out of Truck 23’s bay to get into the station.
That was a very impressive fire station and was the only fire station in the city to have an engine, truck, squad, ambulance, and battalion chief under one roof at the time.
Most of Chicago’s original squad companies had been located in smaller single engine stations, however a few were located with truck companies at one time or another.
#5 by Robert on June 16, 2013 - 8:16 PM
That store sucks anyway. The city should have fought them on it.
#6 by Matthew G on June 16, 2013 - 6:31 PM
Bill, I grew up close to where both original Engine 69 & Engine 89’s firehouses are/were located at. Was Engine 89’s demolished to make way for the Kennedy expressway?
#7 by Bill Post on June 16, 2013 - 5:02 PM
Dan I agree with you the 1936 fire stations were good looking buildings. It’s amazing how close some of them were to each other on the West and Northwest sides. You could just about line them up in a straight line. Four of the 1936 stations were within two blocks of Kostner Avenue. Three of the four stations were consecutively numbered going from south to north.
There was Engine 67 which was only about three blocks west of Kostner (on Fulton and Kilpatrick) and wasn’t more then two and a half miles from Engine 68 on Kostner. About about three miles north of Engine 68 was Engine 69, which was a block and half east of Kostner (on Tripp north of Irving Park). Engine 89 was about a mile northwest of Engine 69, just two blocks west of Kostner on Knox and Sunnyside. Three of those four fire stations were also battalion headquarters. Engine 67 had Battalion 23, Engine 68 had Battalion 24, and Engine 69 had Battalion 30, even though Battalion 30 didn’t go in service until about 17 years after opening, in 1953.
#8 by DMc77 on June 16, 2013 - 2:54 PM
What a shame- I can see how Burlington coat factory needed the extra space as seen by all the cars in their lot in the picture…
#9 by Dylan on June 16, 2013 - 12:29 PM
The burlington coat factory wanted a bigger parking lot. And they bought it and got rid of it
#10 by Dylan on June 16, 2013 - 12:22 PM
My friends dad is a LT at 68 I will ask him