In October the Fire House turned 75. In honor of the occasion a Florida Historic Marker was unveiled and a Proclamation from the City of Ormond Beach was personally delivered and read by Mayor Ed Kelley. The Proclamation includes references to many interesting historical points and people related to the Fire House, as well as some of the awards and other points of distinction that are now connected to it. A number of local newspapers covered the story and included photographs. Similarly, there have been articles of late on the Andy Romano Beachfront Park now under construction which reference the fact that the buildings there are patterned after the Fire House. As stated in the Proclamation, the Fire House is truly is an iconic structure for Ormond Beach.
In an effort to allow more people to have an opportunity to see the interior of the Fire House it has recently been fitted with hardware to accommodate art exhibits. The hardware is barely visible but allows for the hanging of dozens of paintings and other art objects throughout the first floor, but primarily in the large brick and coquina fire truck bay. The first exhibit, which was a huge success, was held in November in conjunction with Lisa Stone Arts and featured Highwaymen art, complete with a personal appearance by the only female Highwayman, Mary Ann Carroll, and the author of three excellent books on them, Gary Monroe. Ormond Main Street, where the Fire House is situated, has been designated an art district and it is anticipated that the Fire House will participate in art oriented events within the district in the future.
For additional information on the history of the Fire House see the Our Historic Building page of our website. For the complete text of the Proclamation follow this link. For additional information on Lisa Stone Arts see lisastonearts.com. For more information on Gary Monroe, the Highwaymen and Mr. Monroe's books on the Highwaymen see floridafolkart.net.