Building What's Next. Preserving What Matters.
Torrado Construction
ADDRESS:
3311-13 E. Thompson Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134-5308
PHONE:
215-426-6600
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Sector: Municipal / Historic Preservation
Role: Trade Partner — Demolition, Concrete & Masonry
Client: City of Philadelphia / Philadelphia Fire Department
Location: 601 South Street, Philadelphia, PA
Engine 11 holds a particularly important place in Philadelphia’s history. Organized in 1871 as one of the city’s original professional fire companies, Engine 11 later became closely associated with the history of Black firefighters in Philadelphia. The city’s first Black firefighter, Isaac Jacobs, was assigned to Engine 11 in 1886, and the company would eventually become Philadelphia’s segregated Black fire company before the department began desegregating in the mid-20th century.
Torrado Construction participated as a Trade Partner on improvements to the current Engine 11 firehouse, performing a defined scope of demolition, concrete, and masonry work. Interior work included substantial basement improvements: demolition of existing walls and flooring, soil excavation and removal using a conveyor system, installation of a new sump pump, and construction of new basement floors.
The project gave Torrado an opportunity to contribute its field expertise to an active municipal facility with an extraordinary connection to Philadelphia’s history.
Engine 11’s legacy extends far beyond the walls of the firehouse. Its history reflects the service, perseverance, and achievements of generations of Black Philadelphia firefighters who helped shape both the department and the city.
Torrado’s construction scope represents a small part of that much larger story—supporting improvements to a working fire station whose history continues to carry meaning for Philadelphia today.
