Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Atlantic City Engine Company No. 4/Truck Company B is significant at the local level under Criterion A as a highly visible example of municipal investment in the city’s fire department and for its association with advancements made in firefighting technology, namely motor-driven apparatus. The switch to a city-owned fire department enabled greater fire-fighting efficiency as increased municipal investment in its fire department resulted in the purchase of more modern equipment and apparatus. Atlantic City Engine Company No. 4/Truck Company B was constructed at a time when gasoline-driven fire engines were becoming more common and, as a result, was the first station in the city that did not use horse-driven apparatus. The construction of this fire station marked a turning point within the Atlantic City Fire Department, acting as a catalyst for the department’s incorporation of more modern technologies in firefighting.  

The fire station is also significant under Criterion C as the most intact and representative example of the hose tower and attached building fire station typology within Atlantic City and for its high-style architectural design. This building type consists of a two- or two-and-one-half-story masonry building with a hipped roof, multi-story hose tower, and multiple engine bays at the facade. When constructed, this station also embodied many of the major architectural features within the fire station building typology which were heavily influenced by advancements in firefighting technology and the societal expectations and public opinion of firemen during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among the neighborhood fire stations within the city, the appearance of Atlantic City Engine Company No. 4/Truck Company B represented a departure from the traditional modestly adorned red brick fire station in favor of a design that was complementary with other buildings in the adjacent area and intentionally grand in its design. The expense paid not only for the building’s construction but to acquire new motor-driven apparatus for a station other than the Fire Department headquarters is a significant testament to public opinion of the city’s firemen as well as the city’s commitment to modernizing their fire department during a period of great technological progress. Atlantic City Engine Company No. 4/Truck Company B encompasses advancements and trends in fire station layout, design, and incorporation of new technology occurring throughout the late nineteenth century which culminated in the early twentieth century with the introduction of gasoline-driven apparatus. 

The 2022 Trust grant helped fund a Conditions Assessment, a National Register of Historic Places nomination, and Schematic Design documents for future work.