The Ohio Restaurant Where You Can Dine Inside An 1800s Firehouse

As a city with diverse, thriving culinary scenes, from traditional to fusion and international fare, you'd think there were few dining surprises in Dayton, Ohio. But there's a great big one tucked into the South Park Historic District, one straddling dozens of decades and perching steadfastly in a historic two-story brick structure. Now known as Jimmie's Ladder 11, the building harbors lots of hot secrets, both literally and figuratively. 

The iconic structure at 936 Brown Street emerged in 1892 as Fire Station No. 11, one of Dayton's "ladder companies" for almost a century. Firefighters stationed there utilized horse-drawn fire equipment when responding to emergencies across the burgeoning city. Clip-clopping over cobbled streets, it's considered one of the last fire stations in Dayton to transition from beast to engine, cementing its forever spot in local firefighting lore. 

As such, when diners arrive for the well-loved menu and ambiance spanning 6,000 square feet, they're also drifting through endless lingering stories linking past to present. History is honored a little differently at Jimmie's Ladder 11 — not just through pamphlets and plaques, but through period architecture, original preserved furnishings, community ties, and shared meals. Apart from the firefighting time-warp of yesteryear (a draw in its own right), the pub-grub food itself is reason enough to cross the threshold of Ladder 11.

Years after the wail of fire sirens grew quiet sometime in the late 1980s, a chef and entrepreneur named Jimmie Brandell brought the old Ladder Station 11 building back to life, opening as Jimmie's Ladder 11 on the fitting date of 11/11/11. As a restaurant, it maintains charming industrial-style features of the original firehouse, including the original brass fire pole, which runs through the first and second floors via a cutout hole in the ceiling. 

Exposed brick walls and original steam radiator pipes keep the vibe going, as does the retained double-bay entry out front. An upstairs event room reflects historic New Orleans-style decor, and live jazz music drifts through the air on many an evening. If there's a random food or beverage holiday, they're likely celebrating it here, from National Scotch, Rum, and Red Wine Days to ones honoring cheeseburgers, pastas, and a catchall "National Drink Beer Day." 

The food presents as modern pub-grub or "comfort food with a twist," depending on who's doing the telling. A famed Paisano pasta chips appetizer features a pile of Italian pasta chips topped with Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, peppers, and mozzarella and provolone cheeses, crowned by asiago cream sauce. The extensive menu offers plenty of wings, pastas, salads, and Father Dan's sandwiches, including a Ladder 11 Romanian-style pastrami. As evening unfolds, loftier fare emerges, including Parmesan-encrusted salmon, the delicious but at-risk walleye fish, and Firehouse sirloin with jalapeños, onion straws, and garlic-chili compound butter.