Formerly Fire station #20: As the population of East Fort Worth increased rapidly during the 1920s, the need for additional fire stations arose. The city purchased this lot in 1927, and the constructed the fire station in 1928.
Wiley G. Clarkson designed the station, Beall and Lewis were the contractors. Clarkson designed many of Fort Worth's finest public school buildings in addition to being a popular residential architect. Station 20 looks more like a house than a fire station as Clarkson thoughtfully designed the building to blend unobtrusively into the surrounding suburban community. A bungalow style building, Station 20 has an off-set gabled portico supported by thick stuccoed columns. The building's gables have Tudor half-timbering and small windows. In the mid to late 1970s, the fire department out grew its location as fire trucks got bigger and moved to a new location. The building then became a wedding chapel and then a photographic portrait studio, before opening as an art gallery in 2003. In 2012, the art gallery changed it's focus, becoming a pottery studio.The Firehouse now provides a venue for local clay artists to sell their clay art work as well as a studio for teaching pottery lessons. At some time, we hope to restore the brown brick and garage door, where the firetruck was parked.
In October of 2004, we obtained Historic Recognition.
This old historic building with its red roof at the corner of Oakland Blvd and Meadowbrook Drive is a landmark in the east side of Fort Worth. It was also recognizable for quite sometime by, 'Rusty' the metal sculpture horse, that stood outside the gallery. He did fall down a couple of times, but there was always a friendly neighbor or passer by, that would stop and help him get back on his feet. Rusty was eventually sold and moved on to pastures, new. The gallery also had its own fire truck for a while and it too has sadly moved on.
The Firehouse Pottery and Gallery is not affiliated with AmericanTowns Media
