Aurora Regional Fire Museum - Building Renovation

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Aurora Regional Fire Museum

| Read about our project | Photos of our progress |
| Press coverage of renovation | Article from the 1894 opening |
| History of the building (and the AFD) |

Photographs of our progress...

Interior Work
Interior renovation work (first floor)
Reconstructing the building's original front staircase, resurfacing the concrete apparatus room floor, refinishing our tongue-and-groove walls, new exhibit lighting, paint, and numerous other renovations are planned for here.

Interior renovation work (second floor)
Refinishing our original wood floors in the bunk and locker rooms, reopening the building's four skylights, new electrical wiring, exhibit lighting, paint, and many other renovations to the second floor spaces are called for on the plans.

Structural repairs to our basement
During the course of planning this project, severe structural deterioration was found in the concrete beams that make up our basement foundation. About $100,000 in repairs will be made to shore up these beams.

Exterior Renovations
Rebuilding the Front Facade
The most visible part of our project will be the reconstruction of the building's front facade - complete with three bay windows and and "onion" dome.

Installing the new (old) "barn doors"
These hand-crafted replicas of our original 1894 apparatus bay (barn) doors add the final touch to the front facade.

Steel "I" beams going up on the roof
To support the onion dome and bay windows, two fifty-foot steel I-beams were installed spanning the building's North/South walls. Eight smaller I-beams make up a framework from which the bay windows will be hung, and the dome will be placed.

Don't shed a tear -- the "onion dome" is here!
When our unique onion-shapped dome was lifted in place, our building's facade began to regain its 1894 appearance.

Tuck pointing the North wall
The project allowed us to patch and repair this former common-wall.

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Aurora Regional Fire Museum • PO Box 1782 • Aurora, IL 60507
Phone: (630) 892-1572 • e-mail: ARFMinfo@aol.com


		\| Read about our project \| Photos of our progress \| \| Press coverage of renovation \| Article from the 1894 opening \| \| History of the building (and the AFD) \| Photographs of our progress...
		Interior Work Interior renovation work (first floor) Reconstructing the building's original front staircase, resurfacing the concrete apparatus room floor, refinishing our tongue-and-groove walls, new exhibit lighting, paint, and numerous other renovations are planned for here. Interior renovation work (second floor) Refinishing our original wood floors in the bunk and locker rooms, reopening the building's four skylights, new electrical wiring, exhibit lighting, paint, and many other renovations to the second floor spaces are called for on the plans. Structural repairs to our basement During the course of planning this project, severe structural deterioration was found in the concrete beams that make up our basement foundation. About $100,000 in repairs will be made to shore up these beams. Exterior Renovations Rebuilding the Front Facade The most visible part of our project will be the reconstruction of the building's front facade - complete with three bay windows and and "onion" dome. Installing the new (old) "barn doors" These hand-crafted replicas of our original 1894 apparatus bay (barn) doors add the final touch to the front facade. Steel "I" beams going up on the roof To support the onion dome and bay windows, two fifty-foot steel I-beams were installed spanning the building's North/South walls. Eight smaller I-beams make up a framework from which the bay windows will be hung, and the dome will be placed. Don't shed a tear -- the "onion dome" is here! When our unique onion-shapped dome was lifted in place, our building's facade began to regain its 1894 appearance. Tuck pointing the North wall The project allowed us to patch and repair this former common-wall.
		\| Home \| About the Museum \| Firefighting History \| Educational Resources \| Hose Tower Gift Shop \| What's New \|
		Aurora Regional Fire Museum • PO Box 1782 • Aurora, IL 60507 Phone: (630) 892-1572 • e-mail: ARFMinfo@aol.com