Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station. Now, every good building has a story, and this one starts the way a lot of Texas stories start: with fire. Back in 1912, the former city hall of Houston Heights burned.

Just gone. And when you're a mayor staring at a pile of smoldering rubble, you've got a decision to make. Mayor J.

B. Marmion and the city council made theirs. They commissioned a Houston architect by the name of A.

C. Pigg to design something new. Something that would house city offices, serve as a fire station, and throw in a small jail for good measure.

That's three jobs under one roof, and Pigg delivered. The building was completed in 1914, dressed up with decorative brick and cast stone work, the kind of craftsmanship that says this place was built to last. And it did last, though not quite in the way anyone intended.

Because in 1918, the city of Houston annexed Houston Heights, and just like that, the city hall chapter closed. Four years of service as the seat of local government, and then Houston swallowed the whole town whole. But the building didn't sit idle.

It became Station No. 14 for the Houston Fire Department, which is a fitting second act for a structure born from the ashes of its predecessor. That station stayed active all the way until 1995. After that, the building settled into its third life as a neighborhood landmark and community gathering place, still standing, still in use.

From city hall to fire station to gathering place, that building has held a lot of Houston Heights history inside those decorated brick walls.

What the marker says

Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station When the former city hall burned in 1912, Houston Heights mayor J. B. Marmion and the city council commissioned Houston architect A. C. Pigg to design a new building to house city offices and also serve as a fire station and small jail. Completed in 1914, the city hall and fire station served its intended purpose only until 1918, when the city of Houston annexed Houston Heights. The building, which features decorative brick and cast stone work, then became Station No. 14 for the Houston Fire Department and remained active until 1995. A neighborhood landmark, the historic building continues in use as a community gathering place. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001