Red Oak Firehouse and City Jail

Iowa, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Located in Red Oak, Iowa, the Firehouse and City Jail is a Late Victorian brick structure built in five stages by the city beginning in 1898. A two-story firehouse completed that year housed hand-drawn fire carts and equipment, followed by a two-story city jail integrated into the structure in 1901, which served both municipal prisoners and homeless individuals requiring shelter. A 1907 addition provided a stable for horses and equipment bays, with the second floor converting to firefighter housing after the station transitioned from volunteer to professional staffing. Further expansions in 1924 and 1948 added storage and additional truck bays, consolidating the disparate functions into a unified complex that operated until the fire department relocated in 1980 and the jail closed in 1967. The building was restored as a brew pub and restaurant before being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, subsequently recognized as a contributing property to the Red Oak Downtown Historic District in 2016.