herr2ck: Turn It Up To 11

February 2026.

← Engine House No. 10 & Station 10 | Engine House No. 11 & Station 11 | Engine House No. 12 & Station 12 →

Engine House No. 11 is one of Columbus’s Victorian-era fire stations. It is identical to Engine House No. 10, which was built at the same time. Although it ceased use as a fire station in 1970, it has since been adaptively reused as offices.

Engine House No. 11 is located at 1000 East Main Street in the Olde Towne East neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Cherry Street to the north, Main Street to the south, a house to the east, and the Salvation Army’s offices to the west.

Station 11 is located at 2200 West Case Road on the far northwest side of Columbus. It is bordered by the Ohio State University Airport to the north and Case Road to the south.

History

As Columbus grew rapidly in the late 19th century, several fire stations were built to service the population that was settling outside of downtown. The city built more water lines away from downtown for the new residents, which resulted in a drop in water pressure, as the pumps at the time struggled to maintain it at greater distances. In the 1880s, the fire department relied on hose reels, an early type of fire engine that was simply a cart with a spool that held a hose, which was then attached to a fire hydrant and used to extinguish the fire. With the poor water pressure further away from the center of Columbus, the city had to reinvest in steam-powered pumping engines to compensate. However, there were two issues--due to maintenance expenses, the city put their two 1870s-vintage pumping engines in their reserves; and the existing fire stations were built for the smaller hose reels, meaning they could not fit the larger pumping engines. As a result, replacement fire stations had to be constructed to house them.

Engine House No. 11 in 1908. (Wikimedia)

Engine House No. 11 was built from August 1896 to February 1897 in the Romanesque Revival style. It was constructed in tandem with Engine House No. 10 in Franklinton, and the two have an identical design. The first floor has three garage doors for a steamer, hose wagon, and hook and ladder truck, along with nine stalls for the station’s horses. The second floor was used as living space for the firemen, as well as a hay loft for the stables.

Major renovations occurred at the station in 1933, when the original garage doors were removed and replaced with roll-up doors, the hose tower had its roof removed, and the decorative pinnacles were taken off of the roof.

Engine House No. 11’s replacement, Station 11, circa 1970s. (Wikipedia)

Following recommendations to retire the station in 1963, Engine House No. 11 was taken out of service in 1970. The new Station 11 opened that year at the Ohio State University Airport. It had a very short service life, just 22 years, before it was demolished and replaced with a newer building in 1992. That station continues to stand and operate today, and it is known as the Don Scott Fire Station.

The present Station 11. (Columbus Division of Fire)

After the departure of the fire department, Engine House No. 11 was renovated into a community center by the Columbus Compact Corporation, a local “economic empowerment” organization. By 2014, AhelioTech’s sign was on the exterior of the building, and as of today they seem to be the sole tenant.

Photos

Engine House No. 11 is one of the better-preserved of these stations. It is still in active use and recently received new windows on the first floor that are meant to resemble the original garage doors.

Main Street facade:

The central bay has a higher parapet with the building’s name, while the two bays have vaulted windows. I like the circular tourelles and the brick corbelling along the roofline.