Landmark building as of 2018. Credit: Google Maps.
Ventura County Landmark No. 62: County Fire Station No. 21
Historical Background
The concrete brick one- and two-story fire station building in Ojai was constructed in 1936 with funds from the Depression-era Works Progress Administration. It housed two fire trucks, a dormitory, storage, and living quarters for the County Fire Warden and the warden’s family.
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA), which operated from 1935 to 1939, was established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to provide jobs to unemployed workers on public projects sponsored by federal, state, or local agencies (National Archives and Record Administration, 1995). Roosevelt’s work-relief program employed more than 8.5 million people during the Great Depression. For an average salary of $41.57 per month, WPA employees built bridges, roads, public buildings, parks, and airports (Public Broadcasting Service, 2023).
Current Use
The former County Fire Station No. 21 building has been adaptively reused over the years, with uses including a museum, gallery, and wine-tasting business.
References
National Archives and Records Administration (1995). Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/069.html.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2023). The Works Progress Administration. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/surviving-the-dust-bowl-works-progress-administration-wpa/
Date Designated: September 1980
Location: 109 South Montgomery Street, Ojai
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