Central Hose House
On January 19, 1878, the Idaho Springs’ first fire company was formed, as a direct result of the burning of the Humeston House and the Gaw Brewery. The central hose house was built for Idaho Springs Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. This hose house served not only as the home for the city’s first hook and ladder cart, but as a monthly meeting place for the firemen from all the city’s independent hose companies, as well as for other social functions.
Bryan Hose House
Built in the 1881, the Bryan Hose House was named in honor of Mayor Thomas B. Bryan (who was building the “castle” across the street), and was made of locally produced bricks. This hose house held the second hose cart in the Idaho Springs inventory. The Bryan Hose House was manned by Independent Hose Company No. 2, which consisted of about 30 volunteers. In 2004, the City of Idaho Springs obtained emergency funds from the Colorado State Historical Fund for stabilization of the rear wall. Major restoration of the brick work and roof was undertaken in 2012.
Historic Hose House No. 2
This smallest of the Idaho Springs hose houses was built between 1882 and 1886 out of locally produced brick with the purpose of housing the third hose cart in the city. When the fire department was reorganized in 1920 and the independent hose companies consolidated, the hose house was no longer needed as an integral part of the Idaho Springs fire protection system.