The economic success of Elgin in the early 1900s inspired town officials to build a fifth fire station in a distinct architectural style . The new station was built on the corner of Arlington Avenue and St. Charles Street . The city bought the lot from Thomas S. Wallin for $ 800 . Local architect Smith Hoag was tasked with the fire house 's design . The Classical Revival structured was completed in 1903 at a cost of $ 6,262 . The first fire house captain was William Seyfarth . The station was built in near-isolation in the southeast extremes of Elgin , but the nearby neighborhoods quickly filled in . Wallin also deeded a small lot by the station to be used as a recreational area . In 1905 , a fountain and basin were constructed there and stocked with fish . In the 1910s , many of the horse-drawn carriages of the fire department were replaced with automobiles . Telephone lines were installed between stations in 1919 . During the Great Depression , Fire Station 5 was closed and the men instead worked Fire Station 1 . While closed , the building briefly operated as the studio for sculptor Trygve Rovelstad . Fire Station Five reopened in 1939 . The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5 , 1991 , shortly before it was to cease function as an operating station . It now operates as a museum and contains historical fire fighting artifacts , including a Silsby Steamer engine used to fight the Great Chicago Fire in 1871
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Fire Barn 5 (Elgin, Illinois)