There's a red brick building with a single garage door in Denver's Five Points neighborhood. Behind the unassuming walls of Fire Station No. 3, you’ll find more than 130 years of Black history.
Damion Pechota, a historian with History Colorado, was drawn by the tidy, beautiful construction of the firehouse at the corner of Washington Street and East 25th Avenue.
“It’s an architectural gem,” said Pechota, who walks past the building most days.
But when Pechota began researching the firehouse, he learned its importance goes far beyond the facade. Just outside the small bunkroom in the single-story building are photos of the men who served in the Denver Fire Department’s only Black fire station from the late 1800s to the 1950s.
Pechota's research led him to submit a nomination for the firehouse to the National Register of Historic Places as part of History Colorado’s Heritage for All campaign. He spoke with members of the community and those with connections to the station in preparation.
“This was a great opportunity to go and talk with them and learn more about the personal stories, rather than just what's in the historic record,” Pechota said.
Fire Station 3's national recognition
The effort was successful, and the fire station was added to the national register, which is the United States’ official list of historic places that are worthy of preservation.
On Thursday, History Colorado CEO Dawn DiPrince gave Fire Chief Desmond Fulton a plaque honoring the station’s historic legacy.
“It really is not about bricks and mortar,” DiPrince said. “It is entirely about the people — the brave men who really put their lives on the line courageously to ensure that the people in this neighborhood could live their lives.”
The motto of the station is “The Pride of the Points,” and that pride could certainly be felt as bag pipes and taps rang out at the dedication ceremony.
“It is absolutely overwhelming,” said Denver’s first Black fire chief, Rodrick Juniel, who attended the ceremony.
“The fact that these individuals lived a life where they weren't recognized for so many years, and now they are on a national level, my heart is just trembling. I stand on the shoulders of those individuals," Juniel said.
A long legacy in Five Points
Pechota said the station’s significance in Black history dates back to 1892, when newly elected Gov. David H. Waite supported the hiring of Black firefighters for the first time.
The Denver Fire Department chose Fire Station No. 3, naming a White captain to lead the crew of three newly enlisted Black firefighters. They were paid less and given older equipment, but they served their community with valor — and some made the ultimate sacrifice.
The ultimate sacrifice
On March 23, 1895, a fire broke out at the St. James Hotel in downtown Denver. Station 3's crew was among the first to arrive. Charging into the building, the crew began working to put out flames in the basement, but support beams collapsed below the main lobby. All four crew members were killed.
Despite the explicit racism of the Jim Crow era, the men were honored equally in death.
Instead of holding a separate funeral for the firefighters and their captain, all four caskets were made to look alike as the police and fire departments marched through the streets for their memorial — so that no one could distinguish the race of the fallen.
The crew that replaced the men included Silas Johnson, who would later become Denver’s first Black captain in 1897. In 1931, DFD decommissioned the original No. 3 firehouse, and opened the current station across the street.
Pillars of their community
Terri Gentry is History Colorado’s engagement manager for Black communities. She is close with the children of some of the firefighters who served at Station 3 before the fire service was desegregated in the late 1950s.
“In addition to being firefighters, they were serving in other capacities in the community. It was a higher calling to make sure that everyone was taken care of,” she said.
Over the years, the firefighters gave haircuts to community members, bought food for families in need and even found shelter for those without homes. Still, the crew at Fire Station 3 was treated poorly by Denver’s leadership.
“Unfortunately, because of so many different issues with racism, classism, there was the expectation that they could never achieve what other folks could achieve, but they [proved] that they could,” Gentry said.
Dedication in the face of discrimination
Pechota said those issues became more prominent in 1938, when an engine from another station broadsided Engine No. 3 en route to an emergency. Pechota said Engine No. 3 was knocked into the air, and the crew was pinned in the wreckage.
Two of the crew members were killed and others were severely injured. But in the following weeks, Station 3’s crew was blamed by the department despite reports showing the other engine was at fault. In addition, Pechota learned Engine No. 3 was using a 15-year-old fire truck that didn’t meet the safety standards of the time.
“Because they were a Black station, it was easy to blame them. And the fire chief at the time did blame them and made racist remarks about the men,” said Pechota.
"His eyes would well up"
Beatrice Frelow Griffin's father was one of the firefighters who was injured in the crash. He was never able to return to the force.
“Ultimately, all of the gentlemen that were hurt had to be put on relief, and they were retired,” Frelow Griffin said. “It was always a very sad thing for him because he loved his job and he was so proud to have been a fireman. His eyes would well up sometimes when firetrucks would roll by.”
The crew at Station 3 remained all-Black until 1957, when the Denver Fire Department desegregated.
“While this city suffered under segregationist policies, this was the place where Black firefighters could come and serve their community while they waited for the rest of the world to catch up,” said Mayor Mike Johnston at the dedication ceremony. “That is the highest commitment to public service. And this building… will long be an example of it.”
A legacy in the Queen City
When Denverite asked historian Gentry about the significance of the building’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places, tears filled her eyes.
“It's an incredible part of our community history, and it feels like it honors not just our community, but individually – our families, our legacy,” Gentry said. “[This] story is one of courage, dedication and love in the face of discrimination. I am so happy to see them finally be honored in this way for the sacrifices they made. It sets an example and it raises the bar for the rest of the country.”
The legacy of the men at Fire Station No. 3 lives on through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who have since scattered across the Denver metro. They have become school principals, pediatricians and advocates for their communities. Through them, the love, care and pride for Denver’s Five Points neighborhood has not only survived but thrived.
“We are really the Queen City of the Rockies,” said Frelow Griffin, “and we have our own little nuggets of gold."
As part of Colorado Heritage for All, History Colorado is seeking community suggestions for properties that are vital to understanding the history of the Centennial State. Coloradans are encouraged to submit suggestions through this online submission form or by contacting the State Historic Preservation Office via email at [email protected].
