Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station , also known as Cedar Rapids Hose Company No. 1 and the Cedar Rapids Science Station , is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids , Iowa , United States . It served as the city 's fire department headquarters and downtown fire station from 1918 to 1985 . It replaced a frame structure in the northeast quadrant , and was part of a larger program of building new facilities for the local fire department . The building program was a response to a series of disastrous fires , changing technology , and the city 's growth . This fire station served from the era of horse-drawn pumper wagons to the modern era of fire engines , pumpers , and hook and ladder trucks . The two-story , brick Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival structure was designed by local architect Charles A. Dieman . In the mid-20th century a two-story kitchen addition was built onto the back of the building . After its use as a fire station the building was incorporated into a new science center in 2000 . The interior of the building was damaged during flooding in 2008 . When a new Central Fire Station was built in 2013 to replace the 1985 building that was destroyed in the same flood , it incorporated design elements from this building . The 1918 fire station was acquired by a downtown development corporation who plan to convert it into office space . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014
flooding in 2008
Iowa flood of 2008
Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station