Engine Company No. 12, firehouse, 1626 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Engine Company No. 12 ca. 1935Former Engine No. 12

Engine Company No. 12 at 1626 North Capitol Street before 1910 (top), in the mid-1930s (bottom left), and today. Past images from the Library of Congress.

Built in 1897, the firehouse was the beginning of the City’s period of eclectic firehouse design. This Spanish Colonial firehouse began a tradition that lasted until 1916 where design varied with each new structure. Engine 12 remained at this location until it moved to new quarters in 1987.

The property remains vacant today awaiting a new occupant. The last promising occupant was 2020 Martini, a the three-story, 10,000-square-foot brick oven pizza/pasta/sushi/martini restaurant and bar that began restoring the property in 2008 before work abruptly stopped.

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Tagged: bloomingdale, dc, history

Kent Boese posts items of historic interest, primarily within the District. He’s worked in libraries since 1994, both federal and law, and currently works on K Street. He’s been an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner serving the northern Columbia Heights and Park View neighborhoods since 2011 (ANC 1A), and served as the Commission’s Chair since 2013. He has a MS in Design from Arizona State University with strong interests in preservation, planning, and zoning. Kent is also the force behind the blog Park View, DC.