Texas Monthly Spotlights San Angelo’s Old Central Firehouse

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo landmark is getting statewide attention after Texas Monthly highlighted Old Central Firehouse in a new feature on historic fire stations being transformed into restaurants, hotels and museums across Texas.

The article, published Tuesday, showcases how business owners are repurposing early-20th-century stations while preserving their history. Leading the piece is San Angelo’s own Old Central Firehouse, a 1929 station restored and reopened by Jody and Michele Babiash as a bed-and-breakfast, pizzeria and taproom.

According to the Texas Monthly report, the Babiashes initially expected to uncover relics from the building’s past during renovation but found little inside. Instead, the community stepped forward, donating helmets, jackets, boots, hydrants and photographs from firefighters across San Angelo, the region and even overseas. Those items now fill the walls of Old Central Firehouse, helping tell the building’s history to guests and diners.

Old Central Firehouse first reopened in 2019 as a bed-and-breakfast. A pizzeria and taproom were added the following year. The Babiashes converted the upstairs bunk room into four suites and repurposed the former station office into a two-bedroom unit called The Lookout suite, which faces a riverside park. The pizzeria’s patio sits beside the same park. 

The Texas Monthly feature goes on to profile several other firehouse conversions across the state, from a boutique hotel in Fort Worth to a microbrewery in Marshall and a theatre in Farmers Branch. 

Read more HERE.