Then and Then and Now: Engine 23

Historic

by Kent Boese • November 3, 2009 4:00 pm

Located at 2119 G Street, NW, the firehouse for Engine 23 is the District's narrowest firehouse.

It was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall in an Arts and Crafts interpretation of the Italian Renaissance revival style and built in 1910. The images above show the Engine company shortly after the firehouse was completed, again on July 23, 1925, and today. Below is another image from 1925.

4 comments — Share	— tags: DC, Foggy Bottom, historic comparison

Then and Now: Engine House 6 (Oct 7, 2009)
Then and Now: Engine Company No. 15 (Sep 22, 2009)
Lost Washington: Engine Company No. 2 (Sep 2, 2009)
Then and Now: The former Italian embassy (Jun 10, 2009)
Then and Now: Granite and peaches (Mar 27, 2009)

Comments

And it sits in the heart of the George Washington University's main campus in Foggy Bottom.

by Loyal Colonial on Nov 4, 2009 12:21 am

Is there any reason why an urban fire department has to be so dependent on polluting firetrucks? If only more would switch back to carbon-neutral horse-and-carriages, you could really reduce their carbon footprint. More buildings would burn down, but you can't make an omlette...

by monkeyrotica on Nov 4, 2009 6:50 am

... and noise pollution. I had my ear drums nearly blown out by a dc firetruck the other day. They were not even responding to a fire. Just driving along and they used their horn like a regular horn. Except those nearby had no idea it was coming and if you were close (like me) your ears are still hurting days later.

by Steve on Nov 4, 2009 9:53 am

I went to GW and yes, it's right in the middle of campus.
On a morbidly hilarious note, G Street is a one-way three lane street through that part of Foggy Bottom (one travel lane, two parking lanes). So when the engine has to get somewhere to the northeast of its fire house, it has to barrel the wrong way down G Street for two blocks till it can turn north on 20th street. I'm sure that's given a few people driving down G Street quite a start.

by Chris on Nov 4, 2009 11:26 am