CHICAGO FIRE STATION

6424 N. Lehigh Avenue
Chicago, IL

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Commissioned by the city of Chicago along with city architect Jerome Butler. A small 100’ x 100’ lot in a single-family residential neighborhood dictated the contextual design. A two-story building would dominate the residential scale, so a unique split-level scheme was conceived. Short half-flight stairs eliminated the time honored “fire pole” allowing quick access to the trucks.
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The upgraded finishes create a rich interior, atypical of most institutional facilities of the time. The exterior is dark brick with sandblasted cast-in-place forms. An early example of public art commissioned with the building is a 6’ x 32’ bas-relief by renowned artist Bronislaw Bak of Chicago firemen in action.

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