Station History

"The city of Argentine held its first elections in 1882, but the fire department began serving the people of Argentine when City Hall was built in 1899. This building not only housed the government personnel, but it also housed the Fire Department, Police Department, and a school and library. This building was on the SW corner of 4th Street and Silver Avenue, known today as South 24th Street and Silver Avenue.

The Argentine Fire Department was in service until 1910, when Kansas City, Kansas annexed the city. Argentine began seeking annexation in 1907, but the city was failing and Kansas City, Kansas had no reason to annex. Railroad strikes, bank failures, a town treasurer embezzling money, and the closure of the Smelter Plant put a major economic strain on the city. Around 1910, Kansas City Steel Company took over at the former Smelter Plant and this gave Argentine the economic stability for Kansas City, Kansas to annex the city. The Fire Department remained at the old city hall building and Kansas City Kansas Fire Department numbered this new station, Station 7. In 1922, the Fire Department was moved to a new station at South 22nd Street and Silver Avenue, and the city turned the old city hall building into a prisoner "work house". The station at 22nd Street and Silver Avenue was in service until 1951, when the Fire Department moved to its current location at South 24th Street and Strong Avenue.

The new station was one of three that was opened in the same year. In 1951, the city built new station 2 in the old French Quarters (West Bottoms), new station 3 in Armourdale, and new station 7 in Argentine. All three of the stations were put in service just months before the 1951 flood. All three of these brand new stations had to be evacuated. After the water had receded, the design of mostly concrete and brick interior of these stations allowed the Fire Department to get them back in service quickly. These stations just needed to have the mud washed out, dry out, and put back in service."
- Provided by Historical Society of the Kansas City Kansas Fire Department