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Item Name
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Engine Company 18
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Lede
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Once a fire station that served the community, now a simple clothing shop.
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Story-Subject
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East Nashville needed a fire station that could sustain and support the local area. The smaller stations such as Inglewood and Madison were experiencing difficulty when facing larger threats. So, an illustration for a new fire hall on Gallatin Road was brought before the Nashville City Council on Oct 3rd, 1929. “Engine Company 18” was quickly approved by mid-May and officially opened on Thursday, June 5, 1930. This station provided protection for East Nashville along most of Gallatin Pike stretching to the greater Nashville city limits. Engine Company 18 would also provide backup for the nearby private Inglewood-Madison fire department. Its Art Deco design was extremely popular in the United States during the 1930s and is evident throughout its structure. The stepped lines on each side of its exterior barriers fall over the bay door and complement its flat roof providing further proof of its Deco design. Other features such as its windows and various nozzles were removed when the fire station was abandoned around 1990. The building remained empty until 2005.
In late 2005, a local Walmart acquired the land which included the fire station and had plans to build a retail grocery store. However, in 2006, former Councilwoman Pam Murray and her non-profit group NEON took possession of the building, with a promise to Walmart to renovate and reuse the old fire hall. The plan previously proposed by the Councilwoman was never acted upon and the building remained empty. A fire in 2011 caused heavy damage to the structure and the building was almost destroyed when a demolition order was issued by the city. In 2013, Walmart sued former Councilwoman Pam Murray after failing to follow through on her promise to regain control of the building. In an attempt to regain ownership of the firehall, Walmart fought Murray in court and was later granted ownership of the property.
However, in 2015, local interior designer Karen Goodlow purchased the land from Walmart and became its new owner. Goodlow completely renovated it as an office and retail building named, “The Station.” Goodlow's design company, along with several other businesses now occupy the building. In 2016 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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Subtitle
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East Nashville’s First Response Team
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Source
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File #117: https://omeka4.mtsu.edu/files/original/3a980e79301f4049d7a2fe94de0baea7.png
History, N. (1970, January 1). Nashville History. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from http://nashvillehistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/.
File #118: https://omeka4.mtsu.edu/files/original/8289b418ea8439a4e4b62d60721b4045.png
History, N. (1970, January 1). Nashville History. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from http://nashvillehistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/.
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Related Resources
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Sanborn Map Company. “Image 72 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.” Library of Congress. 1897. Sanborn Map Company, 1897, Vol. 2. Accessed March 19, 2020 from https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3964nm.g3964nm_g08356189702/?sp=72&r=0.228,0.004,0.582,0.279,0.
Fire Hall for Engine Company No. 18. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2019, from https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/16000416.htm.
History, N. (1970, January 1). Nashville History. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from http://nashvillehistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/.
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Bibliographic Citation
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“Engine Company 18,” Bygone Nashville, accessed September 15, 2025, https://bygone-nashville.mtsu.edu/admin/items/show/43.
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Title/Location
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Engine Company 18
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Address
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1220 Gallatin Avenue, Nashville, TN
