Frequently Asked Questions: • When was the building built, when did it close, and how did the museum begin? • Why were the bay windows removed? • Why the big green dome? • What are the plans for the building, and the museum? Read the answers to these and other Frequently Asked Questions...		Press Releases • Non current • Press Coverage Beacon News - May 21, 2006 Downtown Wonderland Cameron Berkery said he'd never been in downtown Aurora before. But he actually didn't have to say it — you could see it in his face. [more]. Beacon News - April 26, 2006 Patch created for 150th anniversary History is all about perspective, about seeing one's place in the timeline of events, and being able to trace ideas and organizations through the lives of the people involved. [more]. Beacon News - March 19, 2006 Aurora fired up about department's 150th anniversary On July 1, 1856, a group of 63 men came together to form the Young America Fire Company No. 1. [more]. Daily Herald - Dec. 16, 2005 A Nod to the Past: City of Aurora Takes Pride in Restored Firehouse Museum Easter Sunday 1967 is a day Bob Marks isn’t likely to forget.That day, the cotton mill in downtown Aurora went up in a blaze that people still talk about [more]. Beacon News - Nov. 11, 2005 A big thanks over 50,000 watts Aurora broadcast: Spike O'Dell thanks firefighters for efforts to save house Spike O'Dell says he owes a debt of gratitude to the Aurora Fire Department even though firefighters could not save his house during a blaze nearly five months ago. [more] WGN Radio's - Nov. 10, 2005 Spike O'Dell broadcasts live from Aurora Fire Staion #9 and interviews David Lewis, Curator of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum See more information about this event Beacon News - Oct. 27, 2005 Program teaches residents to protect homes from fire No home is guaranteed fireproof, but all can be made safer. That's the message that volunteers took door to door in the Aurora area as part of this year's Red Cross Team FireStopper fire safety education and prevention program. [more] Northwest Indiana Times - October, 2005 One-Tank Trip: Aurora Regional Fire Museum Experience the history of firefighters from 1894 on in Aurora, Ill. With local fire departments focusing on fire prevention this month as part of a nationwide program, kids in the region are probably eager to learn more about firefighting and see more of the equipment used to fight fires. At the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, there's plenty on display, both old and new [more] PM Engineer - December, 2004 Fire Protection: Well Worth the Trip A visit to the Aurora Regional Fire Museum is a step back in time to the days of wooden fire engines and hand-pumped hoses. . . . Today the city of Aurora is protected by over 210 firefighters operating out of nine modern fire stations, with three aerial ladder trucks. A visit to the Old Central Station is a walk through history, and heralds tribute to a labor of love whose mission is to educate, entertain, showcase community pride, promote fire safety, and preserve our history. The place is long on charm. For fire protection aficionados, it’s a lot like Cooperstown. [more]   WLS Television - Sept. 7, 2004 Harry Porterfield's Someone You Should Know A fire museum curator you should know That is a sound from the past. A hand cranked siren on a 1918 fire truck, one of the displays at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. For David Lewis, the curator, the building holds an excitement that has been his passion for more than 30 years. . . [more] Aurora Beacon News - May 13, 2004 Museum fired up about steam engine On display in Aurora: 1907 apparatus on loan from Chicago Fire Department   One hundred thirty-three years after Aurora sent 85 firefighters and a steam pumper engine to Chicago to battle the Great Fire, the Chicago Fire Department Wednesday shipped one of the last remaining steamers in the state to the Aurora Regional Fire Museum for display. . . [more] Chicago Tribune - Nov. 23, 2003 'Fire barn' hot property Museum in Aurora is undergoing $1.5 million restoration During his 31-year career, retired Aurora firefighter Glenn Zelensek spent part of five years living every third day at Aurora's former Central Fire Station... [more] Aurora Beacon News - Nov. 5, 2002 Fire museum work finally complete November 25 party: Building will be showcased without exhibits The people who have been most involved in the renovation of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum don't hide their excitement about finally reopening. . .[more] Aurora Beacon News - June 21, 2002 Onion dome lands on fire museum Proud day: Topper a big step toward restoring station to 1894 grandeur   No tears were shed as workers handled this onion Thursday. There were only smiling faces, as people flashed their pearly whites while they watched a new dome being placed on top of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. . .[more] Chicago Tribune - Nov. 7, 2001 Delays beset Aurora fire museum In recent months, water has damaged the Aurora Regional Fire Museum five times, further delaying completion of its renovation, a city official said. City spokesman Bill Catching blamed.... [more] Aurora Beacon News - Oct. 24, 2001 Fire museum rehab months behind AURORA -- Renovation of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, now months behind schedule, has been complicated further by at least four separate instances of water damage caused by storms or broken sprinklers.... Chicago Tribune - March 15, 2001 FIRE MUSEUM WORK OK'D Work to complete restoration of the former Central Fire Station in Aurora will start this construction season after the City Council Tuesday approved a $755,000 contract to do the bulk of the work. City officials, however, said up to $200,000 in additional work will be needed to ensure the structural integrity of the building, now home of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum.... Aurora Beacon News - March 3, 2001 Emergency repairs force fire museum upgrade over budget AURORA -- The renovation of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum could finish as much as $200,000 over budget because of emergency structural repairs and project add-ons not anticipated in rehab plans.... Old Press Releases Release for May 2006 We’re getting “fired” up! This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the Aurora, Illinois Fire [more] . . Release for June 20, 2004 Great Midwestern Handtub Fire Engine Expo On July 28, 1897, in the small town of Monmouth, Illinois, a hand-pumped fire engine shot a stream of water 182 ft, 6 inches &endash; thus winning the tournament, yet ending the era of handtub fire engine competitions in the State of Illinois &endash; until now! . . . [more]   Release for June 20, 2004 What's a Fire engine muster? MUSTER, according to Webster, is to assemble or gather. For the past one hundred and fifty years, firemen have been engaged in the practice of gathering to compete for personal pride and for the sheer enjoyment of straining to prove that their company was the best of all assembled. . . . [more] Release for June 17, 2002 The Onion is near!   On Thursday, June 20, after generations of absence and many years of hoping and dreaming, a newly replicated "onion-dome" will be hefted into place on top of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum's old Central Fire Station . . . [more] State of Illinois - March, 2002 FY2003 Museum Operating Grant Awards Aurora Regional Fire Museum - Aurora - $7,602 Not Just Horsing Around in the Hayloft - Funding will be used to purchase equipment for the Hayloft Theater; install internet cabling; assist with fees for speakers, performers, research presentations, and materials associated with the year long grand reopening program series.   State of Illinois - March 6, 2001 Governor Ryan Announces $4.8 Million in Museum Operating Grants Governor George H. Ryan today awarded $4.8 million in grants to 85 museums to enhance their education programs and . . . [more]