The Old Police and Fire Station

December 2018

The Coral Gables Municipal Building – aka the “Old Police and Fire Station” – was built during the Great Depression in 1939 as a project of the WPA (Works Progress Administration).  

Designed by Phineas Paist and Harold Steward, the iconic structure on Salzedo Street between Aragon and Giralda avenues is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Above the three bays for fire trucks are the heads of two Gables firemen; behind them are faces of the typical family they protect. Now part of the Museum of Coral Gables, its old jail cells, courtroom and hook & ladder room are museum exhibits. 

Police and Fire Station in 1939
Police and Fire Station (now Coral Gables Museum) in 2018

IN 1939 

  • Germany invades Poland, starts WWII  
  • A new house costs an average of $3,800, gasoline 10 cents a gallon  
  • Lou Gehrig retires from Major League Baseball, diagnosed with ALS  
  • The movies “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” premier  
  • The World’s Fair and LaGuardia Airport both open in New York City