African-American Firefighter Museum

Wonderful museum documenting a part of LAFD’s history and its progression towards an integrated fire department. Be sure to get a tour so the guide can point out all the interesting presentations. Jimmy was our guide (thanks, Jimmy!). I especially enjoyed looking through the photo albums. The station is in great repair. Thanks to Coca Cola and any other local businesses for supporting the museum.
Plan to have lunch at Engine Company 28 and then visiting the museum for a themed day!

Important historical info held within these beautifully preserved walls. A must see for history buff and those interested in LA African American History

An amazing venue and wonderful gem. Very welcoming, informative and clean. Attended an event there and I was totally amazed. I will be retuning and spreading the word, thank you for having this in Los Angeles.

Our tour guide was Mr. Smith. He gave us every ounce of information about the history of the firehouse and the firemen who were there when it first opened as well as many who came along after. Mr. Smith really made this small museum seem huge with all of the information he provided. He was also kind enough to take pictures of our family so everyone would be in the photo.
Great place filled with history.

It’s a small museum, but the young gentleman who gave me a tour was filled with knowledge!
Since I visited, I make a conscious decision to choose Coke (the bottling company was across the street), because they treated the men at this fire station with respect.

This historic firehouse, which is about to turn 100 years old next year, was the first all-​African-​American segregated fire station in L.A.
Today it is a free museum, the only one in America dedicated to African-​American firefighters.
You’re free to explore the firehouse’s two floors. Downstairs there’s an old horse-​drawn fire engine with hoses stacked in the back and few photos from the segregation days.
On the second floor, there are display cases of memorabilia from when the station was in function. Mannequins are positioned around the rooms in the various uniforms, and a cot is set up with the boots, pants, and jacket beside it like a firefighter would have in the event of an emergency when he would need to dress quickly.
Pretty cool fact: One of their past firefighters, Grady Bryant Sr., was a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. He retired a lieutenant colonel and then served for the LAFD from 1946 – 1974.
The building is like an old, restored house with wood floors and a wooden staircase. There are three fire poles, and I was actually surprised how wide they were. One would need larger hands to get a good grip.
They have a few of their past firefighter calendars on display. You can flip through them, but not remove them from the room. Lots of ripped, shirtless men in there.

Also known as Fire Station No. 30. It’s a small museum but it has some nice displays. I didn’t notice any gift shop, but I did talk to «Rookie», a former firefighter who worked here back when it was an operational station. He knew the history (he was a part of it), and offered some good insights on what life was like in those days. This museum is also a Los Angeles Historic-​Cultural Monument number 289. The days of operation are limited though.