Engine House No. 31 (San Francisco, California)

Engine House Number 31 stands on the crest of Russian Hill as a rare survivor from the era of horse-drawn firefighting. When it was constructed in 1908, the San Francisco Fire Department intentionally placed stations at the tops of the city's steepest hills. This strategy allowed crews to race downhill to reach emergencies quickly, but it created a grueling challenge for the return trip. The four-ton steam engines were so heavy that the fire department had to install a mechanical pulley system on the steep climb up Leavenworth Street to help the teams of horses haul the equipment back to the house.