There’s a comfort in knowing that help is always close by. For more than a century, that comfort  for those of us in Maple Ridge has come from the familiar brick façade at 102 East 18th Street.  Tulsa’s Fire Station No. 5 has been quietly standing watch since 1917, making it the longest  continuously operated fire station in the city. Built to serve our neighborhood when Tulsa was  growing by “leaps and bounds,” it remains one of the most beloved landmarks in Midtown. 

The original station was built from a 1916 bond issue and opened the next year to serve what was then the far south edge of the city. Two firehouses have stood on that same corner ever since. In 1931, architect A.J. Love designed the current two-story brick building to replace the first. Love, known for his schools and civic buildings across Oklahoma, brought together the geometric strength of Art Deco with the grace of Old Spanish Colonial design. Arched windows, wrought iron balconies, and small terra-cotta tile eyebrow roofs soften the lines of the façade and give the building its warm, timeless character. 

Inside, the engine bays are so narrow that drivers still have to back the trucks in with only a few inches of clearance on either side. At the heart of the station is its famous castle-shaped fireplace, built by a grateful German immigrant brick mason who wanted to thank the firefighters for helping him during hard times. The five-foot-tall hearth, complete with tiny lighted windows, still anchors the watch room where generations of firefighters have shared coffee, stories, and long nights. Years later, the mason’s son returned to see his father’s work for the first  time since childhood and found it exactly as he remembered. Like so much in Maple Ridge, it endures because someone cared enough to build it well. The brass fire pole remains in use too, one of only a few left in Tulsa, connecting the upstairs bunk room to the truck bays below. 

If these walls could talk, they would tell stories of courage, kindness, and even heartbreak. In 1931, a pit bull named Fireman #35 became the station mascot and a neighborhood favorite. The dog was killed in the line of duty while clearing the street for an engine responding to a call. A  decade later, the crew of Station 5 saved a home on South Woodward Avenue after a woman traveling by train sent a telegram back to Tulsa saying she had left her iron on. The firefighters broke into the locked house just in time to prevent a fire and then wired back to the train to tell her she could continue her trip in peace. 

In the summer of 1967, firefighter R. E. Hanks dove into the Arkansas River to rescue three young boys. His bravery earned him a personal letter of thanks from Fire Chief E. Stanley Hawkins, who praised his efficient response and professionalism. Governor David Hall, who once worked nearby as County Attorney, often joined the firefighters for beans and cornbread lunches, proof that Station 5 has always been as much about fellowship as it is about firefighting. 

The work itself has changed over time. Today, nearly 80 percent of the calls to Station 5 are for medical emergencies rather than fires. It seems fitting that this station, built to protect Maple Ridge when it was young and growing, is now evolving to care for us as we grow older. Soon, Station 5 will become a designated paramedic station, equipped to respond even faster to medical needs and better serve the health and safety of our neighborhood’s aging residents, 

myself included. The mission remains the same, but the focus now turns toward lifesaving in a broader sense. 

Through remodels, retirements, and generations of service, Station 5 has remained a source of pride for Maple Ridge. When the great shade tree on the west side of the property died in 2014,  Captain Terry Sivadon and his crew raised funds to commission local artist Clayton Coss to carve the trunk into a sculpture of a firefighter standing atop a giant number five. When time and termites damaged it, the carving was lovingly restored in 2023 through donations from neighbors, the fire union, and the Tulsa Retired Firefighters Association. The sculpture stands today as a symbol of the deep connection between the firefighters of Station 5 and the people they protect. 

On quiet winter nights, the firefighters say one of the prettiest sights in Tulsa is looking out the upstairs window toward the church steeple glowing through falling snow. Inside, the old castle fireplace still gives off a soft light, and the brass pole gleams beside the waiting engine. There is history in every brick, but also life and dedication. Station 5 isn’t just part of Maple Ridge’s story. It’s part of our family, a steady guardian that has stood ready for more than a hundred years and will continue to serve for generations to come. 

Special thanks to Dan Little at the Tulsa Fire Museum for generously sharing the records and photographs that helped make this story possible. 

Do you have stories or old photos of Fire Station No. 5 or other historic Maple Ridge homes? I’d love to hear them for future features. 

And please remember to support our neighborhood by renewing or joining the Maple Ridge Neighborhood Association. Your $100 annual membership helps keep Maple Ridge strong, beautiful, and connected. Contact the association and me at  contactus@mapleridgeneighborhood.com.