Manistee Fire Hall

By the late 1880s, a major topic of discussion at the local city commission meetings was the need for a proper municipal building to house the fire department. To that end, a Saginaw architect, F.W. Hollister was hired to draw up specifications for a new building. In early October 1888, bids were advertised with the low bid coming from the local firm of Gore A. Brownrigg & T.N. Reynolds. The building was completed the following spring and seems to have been occupied with little fanfare. The two-story, pressed-brick and cut-stone structure is flanked by a two-and-one-half-story copper domed tower. The unique structure is a cross-gabled Romanesque Revival style building and has not undergone any alterations in usage or design since it was built. The fire hall is thought to be the oldest fire station in Michigan which is still in use in its original form, a fact for which every resident of Manistee can be justifiably proud. The fire hall also houses a small display, complete with artifacts and photos, on the history of Manistee's Fire Department. It is open for tours daily except during mealtime or in an emergency.