In September of 1966, Chief Erwin J. Bauman authorized the establishment of a fire museum in order to collect and preserve Aurora’s firefighting history. Lieutenant Charles Goodwin was appointed the curator, and the large basement of Fire Station 4 was used to house the growing collection. In October of 1968 the Aurora Fire Museum opened to the public.

Under the leadership of Captain Charles Goodwin and his wife Georgia, the Aurora Fire Museum thrived. Georgia spent thousands of hours researching and documenting the fire department’s history using the the local public library and various newspaper archives, while Charlie collected and cataloged over a thousand objects and two thousand photographs.

By the early 1980s, the museum had outgrown the basement of Station 4, and a more suitable home for the collection was sought.

In 1981, a new fire department headquarters was built on North Broadway adjacent to the old station. The old Central Fire Station faithfully served the city for eighty-six years and there was much debate about its future. After several failed attempts to sell the old building, a group of community activists, building preservationists, and retired firefighters successfully petitioned city officials to “Save Our Station” from demolition. They recommended using the old station as the new home for the fledgling Aurora Fire Museum.

The newly formed Aurora Fire Station Preservation Corporation acquired the old Central Fire Station in July of 1987. The years of indecision and neglect were hard on the building, and major repair work was urgently needed. The roof leaked, the hardwood floors were covered over, the walls had been coated with layers of paint, and there were major life-safety code issues that needed to be addressed. After three years and thousands of volunteer hours the Aurora Regional Fire Museum opened in the fall of 1990.

In 2000, the City of Aurora received a grant from the State of Illinois to renovate the old Central Fire Station, stabilize its foundation, and restore its original front facade. The projecting bay windows with leaded glass transoms (smaller windows above the bay windows) were fabricated, a replica of the original onion dome was installed, and new garage doors to the apparatus floor were hung to match the original 1894 design.

After one-hundred and ten years of use, seven years of neglect, and more than fifteen years of unrelenting hard work, the fully-restored Aurora Regional Fire Museum reopened in the fall of 2004. Today the restored old Central Fire Station serves as a unique historical landmark and is a destination for local, regional, and international visitors.

The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is an independent non-profit organization funded by grants, donations, memberships, and earned income such as admissions fees, facility rentals and gift shop sales. Consider volunteering, making a donation, or becoming a member today. To learn more about the museum, please visit https://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org.