Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-29
FIRE CHIEF GOES
TO NEW QUARTERS
Finest Engine House in World to
Open Saturday at Fifth
and Maple
FACADE is OF ITALIAN MARBLE
Peruvian Mahogany and White
Tile Make Luxurious Housing
for Men and Horses
FACADE is OF ITALIAN MARBLE

Will 6UV mas
front and 165 feet depth for the new
engine house at Fifth street and Maple
avenue This engine house will be
commissioned Saturday and the finish
ing touches were being put on 1t
yesterday.
There is no engine house quite like
this one in all the world. New York
city. grown envious of the fame Of the
'marble palace" Is now building an
engine house that may equal 1t, but
never surpass 1t.
AS Fifth street is narrow, the en-
gine house does not FULLY snow its
beauty from any place along the
street The pedestrian In Fifth street
sees a glaring white concrete build
ing, occupying section of the sky
line, but not until he stands directly
in front of the building does It's full
maRnifcence burst on him. Then he
sees at a glance why 1t has been dub
bed the marble palace"
The building Is three stories high.
The front, as far as the first story, Is
of genuine italian marble. The first
and second stories are faced with
terra Gotta blocks and the edges are
trimmed with stone. On the east SIDE
is memorial tablet bearing the
names of the mayor, fire commission
ers. c. O. Hawley, Ben c. Robinson,
Richard Molony, and r. b. William
son. It also bears the name OF Walter
al
the tablet was carved. and of the ar
,hitects, Hudson & Munsell On the
west side is the entrance to the au-
tomato elevator which goes directly
to the third floor. This elevator Is for
the accommodation of Chief A j. Eley
and his guests.
WALLS OF WHITE THM
The interior of the first floor, the
business part of the engine house,
shows an Immaculate whiteness almost
dazzling to the eyes. The floor is or
repressed, vitrifed brick, that the
horses cannot kick holes In. The walls
are of brilliant white tile and the
ceiling, which is 20 feet high, Is OF
pressed steel, enameled in white. There
are ten stalls for the horses and they
are of pressed steel, painted dark green
to relieve the white of the rest of the
room. A hose tower, SO feet high, is
built in the side of the east wall. The
tnn ~ this tower connects with the
roof and 1t Is in here that the lengths
of hose are hung to dry after fire.
Lockers and every kind of auto
matte electric device that can De useo
in an engine house, complete the fur-
nishing of the first floor. The house
extends through to Winston street,
and is designed to hold fire engine
and a truck The fire engine Is ready
for service, but the truck is still to
be purchased. 1t will be motor We
Money for the truck has been al
lowed in this years budget.
No money has been spent unneces-
sariIv in the basement, which is equip
ped with the boilers and automatic
devices that keep the fire engine up TO
it's full fighting capacity. Built in fuel
bins are part of the basement equip
ment. ooos
The second floor Is the mems quar-
ters. The front room is the assembly
room and off this is an office for the
cantain of the house. Back OF the
assembly room is the dormitory,
where the men sleep. In this room
are four sliding poles and stranger
must walk war1ly or he VIII raH
through to the first rloor on thVse
repressed vitrified brick. These poles
are for the men to use when aroused
at night to attend fire.
room for games Is back of the
dormitory and back of that is large
bath room with tubs, showers ana lav-
pletes the second story, which is fin
ished in white oak. The floors are
cement. The hall that connects the
rooms is tiled with white and green
tiling in attractive patterns.
But the third story! Whew! There
sure is some class to that. The whole
floor is finished in matched Peruvian
mahogany. with heavy beams on the
ceiling and hard wood floors. In front
is the reception room, which is light
ed by bay window that takes the
entire front Of the building Ihe
matched mahogany wood work rises
about five feet from the floor all
around the room and above that the
wall is enameled with leatherette. The
ceilings are ornamental stucco panels
There are built-in bookcases that VIII
hold a fair library, but the crown1ng
- ho
nlace The marble rises above a mans
head and above that is large French
plate mirror. No fireman In the de-
partment Is tall enough to see In this
mirror, but 1t reflects the ornamentaI
ceilings beautifully.
Rack of the front room and across
the hall from the elevator entrance,
is a bathroom. That Is one thing
about this engine house-the arch1-
tects have stuck bathrooms IN every
possible corner. This bathroom Is rin-
ished in marble and contains the most
modern Of bathroom fixtures, includ-
ing a shower bath. It connects with
a bedroom. in which there are three.
lockers. The bathroom door has six
foot mirror on the bedroom side. Chief
Eley will occupy this bedroom; a
suite of two rooms for visiting chiefs
is also on this floor, and this suite
has a private bathroom. There Is a
pleasant back room in the rear of the
suite, also with a private bath.
In addition to the automatic pas
senger elevator that connects with
the third floor. there is a freight ele-
vator in the rear OF the building that
carries hay to the loft on the third
floor This loft is not connected with
any other part of the floor and the
only way of reaching 1t is by this
freight elevator. There are chutes
from the loft leading to the horses
stalls on the first floor, through which
grain passes and dumb waiter car
ries the hay.
plans for this engine house were
begun before the present administra-
tion came into office. and the ad-
ministration regrets that so much
money was expended on this engine
house de luxe. The money put into
this building, they declare, would
huild two engine houses of the ordl-
nary type, but now that they have 1t
and the money has been spent, they
are reconciled. for it win be another
OF those things for which Los An
Reles Is noted.