house. The second floor above the horse stalls was raised several feet, and a section of the second floor, 15 by 20 feet was partitioned off to provide a sleeping room for the drivers. In July 1895, Spangler Brothers, contractors and builders of East York, completed renovations to the Rex truck house. Most of the wood work on the first floor was replaced, including rotten and decaying flooring and joists. The stables were set back even with the Laurel's engine house, enlarging the apparatus room by twenty feet. A large skylight was placed over the stables. In 1906, the Laurel engine house was outfitted to be heated by steam. On Friday December 20, 1907, the Rex Hook and Ladder Company was instructed by the Fire Committee not to respond to fire calls with the exception of a large fire in the business section of the city. The condition of the flooring in the Rex was so bad that the horses were to be carefully walked outside, the apparatus pulled out of the station by hand, and the horses hitched to the ladder truck outside to respond to a fire. A new asphalt floor was not completed until Monday, January 20, 1908. The Rex ladder truck was stored in a temporary frame and canvas structure erected on Duke Street until the floor was completed. In January 1914, the stables of the Laurel engine house were being renovated, and a new wood block flooring was being laid in the stables. The horses were temporarily quartered in the Keystone stables at Queen and King Streets. The Laurel would be delayed in answering alarms as they had to bring the horses back to the engine house to answer alarms. In July 1940, a new frame belfry was constructed on top of the tower of the Laurel station. The belfry was painted a cream color, and the wrought iron work was re-attached to the top. The Little General weather vane was also returned to the top of the tower. The work was performed by a crew of Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers. New window sills and a new exterior paint job followed that summer. On Monday, March 11, 1957, city workers cut a doorway between the Laurel and Rex fire stations. Prior to that, firemen would have to walk around the exterior of the building to go from one station to the other. Fires and