🚩 Old Fire Station (Chester, Illinois)

The Old Fire Station is a historic fire station at 822 Swanwick Street in Chester, Illinois. The fire station was built in 1935 after the Chester City Council voted to fund a new fire station the previous year. Additional funding came from New Deal programs which promoted public works projects; the Old Fire Station was one of hundreds of new fire stations built nationwide under the New Deal. City engineer Theo F. Lacey designed the building, a vernacular structure built with stone blocks taken from the recently demolished Ballard Building. The fire department used the building until 1961; the second floor was also used as a community center.