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.
