The recently restored Palmer Fire School boasts a unique gathering place for Charlotteans.
The rubble stone structure was built in the late 1930's during President Roosevelt's Works
Progress Administration in an effort to employ people in the midst of the great depression.
Then Fire Chief Hendrix Palmer, which the building was named after, lobbied government
officials to approve funding for construction of the facility to provide firefighters with the
best training facility in the country at that time.
Many firefighters themselves aided in the construction of the building hauling materials
from an old tannery on Burton Street and later excavating and finishing two-thirds of the
basement. The grounds were also landscaped by firefighters which now boast breath taking
magnolias, oaks, and pines. In thirty plus years the facility acted as a training academy it
was also utilized as a social gathering place for dances and barbecues. How appropriate this
unique structure be restored to it's full potential and added to the National Historical
Registry.