The RHS Facebook page is a rich archive of history-related posts by Carol Flynn, RHS Facebook admin and writer until mid-2025. Carol prolifically wrote a wide variety of meticulously researched local history articles for RHS. She continues to write for the Beverly Review and other media sources with articles particularly focused on local Ridge history.
Beverly Fire Station History
Since we are experiencing a "weather event" due to a "fractured polar vortex" today (translation: it's snowing out), this seems like a good time to share some history. So everyone grab your coffee or hot chocolate and gather round.
A day or two ago, on the Facebook page Forgotten Chicago, a post was made about the Optimo Hat shop which is downtown in the Monadnock Building. I started a post on that and this is a continuation of that.
Now, everyone knows that Optimo Hats was a successful shop here in Beverly on Western Ave. for many years, owned and operated by Graham Thompson. You can read all about the business on its website. When it was decided to move the shop downtown, we were all very happy about the store's success, but sorry to see it leave Beverly. But Graham did not abandon Beverly – in fact, he did a really wonderful thing. He took over an old, historic fire station and set up his hat-making operations there. This is the story of that fire station, known as Chicago Fire Department (CFD) Engine Co. 121.
Beverly Hills, as this section of the community eventually became known, annexed to the City of Chicago in 1890. Prior to annexation, the area was served by the volunteer fire department of Washington Heights. With annexation, the volunteers were incorporated into the CFD and a fire station was built at 104th St. and Vincennes Ave. in 1890-91 (picture 1 from the Ridge Historical Society archives). [Ed. note: There is still the fire station at 10400 S. Vincennes – CFD Truck 24. The original frame structure is long gone, replaced by a brick facility.]
Then in 1912, the city purchased the corner lot at 1700 W. 95th St. to build a new fire station in the ever-growing community. Engine Co. 121 was organized on March 1, 1915, the first CFD company with motor equipment. Total manpower was eight men. In 1940, the firehouse was enlarged and in 1941, Truck Co. 40 was reorganized to that location.
The original station was used for over nine decades and still stands, a local landmark. In 2008, right next door to the old firehouse, a new station was built. Photo 2 (by C. Flynn) shows the old and new stations together. The old station, in the foreground, is the one now being used for hat production.
The original 1915 firehouse, standing alongside the modern facility, offers a unique history lesson – the opportunity to contrast “then” and “now.”
There is even a collectible for Engine Co. 121. Code 3 Collectibles has a 1:64 scale die cast Luverne pumper Engine 121 released in 1999 as part of its “Fire and Rescue” line. Sold out by the company, the models can be found on eBay and other outlets.
– Carol Flynn, RHS Communications #ridgehistoricalsociety
This is a good article about the hat production facility.
https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/5/1/17306880/optimo-hatmaker-som-beverly-firestation