How we figured out the history of Fire Station #24 and the city's All Black Brigade

Old fire hall at 4501 Hiawatha Avenue designated historic site

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Approximately 10 years ago the LTL International Leadership Institute organized a training mission for a team of Minneapolis firefighters to travel to our Sister City Eldoret, Kenya. The team was making their first trip to Africa to bring modern firefighting skills to a city that had endured ethnic strife and fatalities due to the inability of the fire crew to respond.The lack of fire repellent shoes, coats and helmets prevented them from entering a burning building.
The African firefighters were eager to learn new skills and share with their mostly White American counterparts.
This mission trip to Kenya with the first African American fire chief for the city of Minneapolis reminded me of the long struggle of African Americans to be a part the professional fire service in the city of Minneapolis.
African Americans, including Captain John Cheatham, were pioneers in the department. Knowledge about the care of horses, chemistry and firefighting skills were required to work in an environment where buildings were many stories taller than the ladders and equipment could reach. It was 1907 when Fire Station #24 was built at 4501 Hiawatha Avenue as the development of the city of Minneapolis moved closer to its origin at Fort Snelling.
The grain companies were building multiple towering storage facilities along the railroad tracks that ran just in back of the fire station. The railroad traffic could also ignite a spark that would need a watchful eye and a quick response should a grass fire ignite. The huge mill explosion and loss of life at the Washburn Crosby Mill would not easily be erased from the minds of city residents.
A permanent community of African Americans had settled along Snelling Avenue and nearby areas in south Minneapolis. They supported the fire chief's decision to create an All Black Brigade at Fire Station #24. The station had a great response record arriving with a team of two horses and fire equipment before other stations who also responded to the same alarm call.
Little has been written about the men who served at Station #24. Many northern cities in the aftermath of Plessy vs. Ferguson maintained separate fire stations for African American firefighters. Chicago, St Paul, and Minneapolis all share the legacy of segregation in one occupation in the government work force.
As our entry in World War II approached, Station #24 was closed by the city of Minneapolis and the building sold to a private company. No horses to walk around for exercise. No men impeccably dressed in blue uniforms around the station. No first responders to give comfort as they traveled neighboring streets and walkways to and from their shift.
It was the memory of an elder who shared with me the history of the All Black Fire Station without a mention of the address. I looked along Minnehaha and Lake Street and was told no, not the right place. Then I confirmed the location of 4501 Hiawatha. Before community engagement activities could begin to support historic preservation, I drove past the building on the way home from the airport. I looked through my passenger window and observed that all the buildings around the station were demolished. Trucks and equipment were stacked next to the station.
I contacted Joseph Waters, a firefighter/historian, and the media to alert them to the changes in the block and the need to move forward with preservation efforts.
Fortunately the city of Minneapolis CEPD had flagged the property for possible historic significance, which we found later had prevented a quick sale and demolition by the developer who was building an apartment on the rest of the block.
Preservation efforts were supported by council members Andrew Johnson and Andrea Jenkins. Since the property is located in Ward 12, we focused community engagement meetings over Zoom to bring in organizations in Ward 12 like Friendship Academy of the Arts, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, LTL International Leadership Institute, African American Firefighters Association, local historians, preservationists, African American Storytellers Alliance, and the African American Cultural Heritage Museum and Gallery, as well as many others.
The request by Ward 12 council member Johnson supported by Jenkins of Ward 8 for temporary protection was approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission. A formal study of the building was commissioned by the city of Minneapolis. The 106 Group was selected by the city and made recommendations.
In January the building at 4501 Hiawatha was given historic designation by the city. An new owner with a long history of community arts education (Adventures in Cardboard) is renovating the interior of the building to make it the heart of the neighborhood for the next 100 years.

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