Engine House No. 12 is a former fire station in the Olde Towne East neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Today it primarily houses Gemüt Biergarten, a German restaurant, brewery, and biergarten, with its second story used for offices. It is a contributing property to the Columbus Near East Side District, a national historic district established in 1978. The building was constructed in 1896 as a Columbus Fire Department station. It became vacant following several decades' use, and subsequently housed the city's Arts and Crafts Center, from 1952 to 1978. The building lay vacant or under renovation for years while several proposals were fielded for it. It finally reopened in 1988 as an event venue and concert space known as the Columbus Music Hall. The music hall operated until 2008, and the building underwent another period of vacancy until another renovation around 2017. Gemüt Biergarten opened in the engine house building in 2019. Attributes The building is made of red brick on a stone foundation, with two stories and . It is a contributing property to the Columbus Near East Side District, a national historic district established in 1978. The building's restaurant occupies a space, including an indoor dining room, beer garden, brewery space, and front and back patios. The dining room has large wooden communal tables. It also features stained glass windows, designed by a London-based artist and created by a Columbus glass studio. The works reflect the stories of the restaurant's house-brewed beers. History The fire station was built from 1896 to 1897, replacing a prior building, the Oak Street Engine House which housed Chemical Engine Company No. 1. The station had been nearly completed in February 1897, including its furniture. The fire station at the time had a requirement to be staffed by people of color, a city ordinance allegedly created to increase minority support for the government. Despite this, the fire chief decided to move the station's existing crew and their chemical engine to a new chemical engine station on West Broad Street, as the equipment needed to be moved and the existing crew was trained and experienced with the machinery. Therefore, in March 1897, the fire department issued a statement that the new station would be staffed by white men. The old fire station was cleared away by April of that year. The engine house initially operated with horse-drawn fire engines. After the Columbus Fire Department vacated