The 1899 brick fire house with a hose-drying tower

The Elm Street Fire House is a two-story brick structure located at 24 Elm Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1899, it was the second fire house built in the city during the 1890s, following the Globe Village Fire House. The building serves as the fire department headquarters and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The building is architecturally eclectic, exhibiting a mixture of Revival styles popular in the late 19th century. A tall hose-drying tower at the northeast corner is Italianate, featuring round-arch windows and a bracketed pyramidal roof with skirt. The ground floor equipment bays have rusticated brick voussoirs, and the second story features round-arch windows in its central bays and rectangular sash windows with keystones at the southern end. The hip roof is topped with dormers featuring Gothic-arched gables.

Southbridge's fire services began with a tub engine owned by the Hamilton Woolen Mill Company. In 1832, the city acquired its own engine and established a volunteer force. The fire department was formally established in 1880, and water was provisioned to hydrants in the 1890s. The Elm Street Fire House was designed by Worcester architect George H. Clemence, who maintained an office in Southbridge.

A single-story addition extends to the south to provide more equipment bays.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons