PUEBLO – The second oldest city-owned structure in Pueblo is now one of Colorado’s most endangered places.
Hose Company No. 3, once a fire station and now a museum containing thousands of Pueblo firefighting artifacts, is in need of some repairs.
The structure erected in the late 1800s served the town’s fire department until 1979, before being retired. Since then, the station has deteriorated.
According to Colorado Preservation Incorporated, “The building’s limestone, brick, and stucco exterior show significant signs of stress that could threaten its historic integrity.”
Upon hiring a firm to assess the damages, museum staff learned that it would cost about $160,000 to repair the decaying building.
The Pueblo Firefighter Historical Society, determined to save the structure, recently worked to place the historical landmark on the ‘Most Endangered Places’ list.
The appointment, according to Museum Curator Mark Pickerel, “Is a very good thing because it brings awareness to the museum. It [also] brings us to the forefront of a lot of different grants.”
Currently, museum staff is working to raise $40,000, 25% of the needed repair costs, by October. These funds will then allow them to apply for a grant from the State Historical Fund.
If their application is accepted, the grant could finance the remaining 75 percent of the repair costs.
If you would like to be involved in helping restore this piece of Pueblo history, you can follow THIS LINK to the museum’s website.
