One of Denver’s earliest firehouses, the Hose Company No. 1 building was built in the 1880s and has since served as a print shop, welding shop, and storage facility. It will soon reopen as a restaurant for a new hotel. The preservation of Hose Company No. 1 is an example of Colorado’s dedication to its heritage.

History

The Hose Company No. 1 building was constructed as a firehouse in 1881 by J. W. Richards, owner of Crescent Flour Mills, in an area known as “the Bottoms.” The Bottoms were an industrial area near present-day LoDo (Lower Downtown) with grain mills and silos. Richards invested in a firehouse because it was difficult for horse-drawn hose carts to cross the railroad tracks. Volunteers operated the firehouse until 1884, when the Denver Fire Department took ownership and moved in Hose Company No. 1. In 1890 the hose company was upgraded to Steamer Company No. 5. Steamers were heavier and required more space than older hose companies. The foundation for the Hose Company No. 1 building is concrete on sandy ground, and the combined weight of horses and a steamer damaged the building. The Denver Fire Department abandoned the firehouse in 1893.

The Hose Company No. 1 building housed the National Poster Company in the 1920s and operated as a printing shop. In 1934 Denver ordered the Hose Company No. 1 building destroyed. Its owners, the Bartholomew Firm, performed extensive repairs to save it from demolition. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Hose Company No. 1 was home to the Colorado Boiler Company, a welding shop dedicated to riveting, welding, and repair of boilers for steam trains and large farming equipment. Owner George Kalmbach submitted a historical preservation request for Hose Company No. 1 in 1983. The Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation recognized the building as the earliest remaining firehouse in Denver and designated Hose Company No. 1 as Denver Landmark 164 in 1986.

Since 2004, Hose Company No. 1 has been owned by Focus Property Group, which used the building as a self-storage facility. Focus requested permission to demolish Hose Company No. 1 in 2011 because it was severely deteriorated, but Denver denied the request since the building is a landmark. Focus worked with Historic Denver to stabilize and preserve the building.

Future Use

Hose Company No. 1 is scheduled to reopen in 2019 as a restaurant for a new, twelve-story hotel near Coors Field and Union Station. Hose Company No. 1’s rich history adds to the beauty and value of the hotel, and the city will earn revenue while preserving its heritage. The building has been marked for destruction more than once, and yet it has endured and been repurposed for the betterment of the city.