Milwaukee Fire Department’s Station 30, 2903 N. Teutonia Ave., is back in service, as quarters for Engine 30 and Truck 12.
In December 2021, the crews had to clear out of their shared quarters in the two-bay building because the main apparatus bay floors were failing.
While work to repair the station was in progress, Engine 30 operated out of the vacant Station 5, nearby at 1313 W. Reservoir Ave. Truck 12 went to Station 36, 4060 N. 27th St., and to make room there Med 5 went to Station 5.
According the MFD’s annual report, Station 30 had the most runs in the city in 2019, with more than 10,000.
In addition to structural repairs, one of the station’s apparatus doors – which were replaced in 1992 to better reflect the building’s original doors – was repaired.
“Concrete under-slab repairs and shoring (were) installed according to a plan specific to that floor,” said Chief Aaron Lipski.
The companies returned to Station 30 on June 21.
Station 30 was the penultimate firehouse designed by mason-turned-fireman-turned-architect Sebastian Brand, who retired in 1919 at the age of 75, after 47 years of service to MFD.
Station 31, 2400 S. 8th St., was the final Brand design to be constructed, in 1912.
The 42x100-foot Station 30 cost $20,992.48 to build and it opened on March 1, 1912 as quarters for Engine 30 and Truck 14. The lot on Locust and Teutonia, across from what is now Hopkins-Lloyd School (then Hopkins Street School), cost $3,352.
In 1930, part of the building was altered to add a handball court in the former hayloft and nine years later the brick driveway in front of the overhead doors was replaced with concrete. Later, the bay door openings were enlarged to accommodate larger equipment.
A lovely red brick station with a corbelled cornice, Station 30 originally had a tall hose-drying tower thrusting up from the left front corner. At some point, the tower was lowered to its present position just above the roofline. It's possible that it was taken down as part of a series of renovations undertaken in 1949.
In 1992, the building was again renovated and the handball court removed.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
