The History of No. 7
A Firehouse with a second act
1877
The firehouse is first established at 1304 South 18th Street in Lafayette Square, originally housing horse-drawn pumpers with wagons in the front bay and horses stabled in the rear.
Photo courtesy of Landmark association of Saint Louis
Photo courtesy of Landmark association of Saint LouisMay 27, 1896
The original station is destroyed during the infamous Great Cyclone, one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history, which tears through Lafayette Square and much of St. Louis.
Photo courtesy of Landmark association of Saint Louis1897
Old Firehouse No. 7 rises from the rubble, rebuilt on the same footprint in the Italian Renaissance Revival style that still defines the building today.
1905–1942
Alongside Engine Company 7, Hook & Ladder 14 operates out of the station, keeping the neighborhood protected for decades.
1971
Engine Company 7 relocates to a new station on LaSalle Street.
While Engine Company 1 temporarily operates from the firehouse shortly afterward.
1975
Old Firehouse No. 7 is officially decommissioned after nearly a century of service. The building enters a quieter chapter, used primarily for storage and studio space.
2021–2023
A two-year restoration reimagines the firehouse as a private residence while preserving many of its historic architectural details, including the iconic bay doors and fire poles. During renovation, workers discover a 100-year-old bag of oats hidden inside a wall from the building’s horse-drawn era!
Photo courtesy of Jon saucier photographyToday
Russell & Alex started calling the firehouse ‘home’ in 2025 and are now opening the former firetruck bay for Five Alarm Concerts — intimate, donation-based performances supporting St. Louis musicians directly.
The building continues serving the public, just in a different key.
