Info on underground fire station? (Lexington, Richmond: subdivisions, design, farm)

[1greatcity]

I'm currently visiting Lexington (for the first time) and have stumbled across a fascinating sight: An underground fire station. It appears to have been built into a hillside. I think it's located on Man O'War Blvd. Does anyone have any details about this place?

[Sman]

It is on Man O War at Boldbidder. That section of Man O War was the first to be completed... probably about '80 or '81. It went from Richmond Rd. to Boldbidder... didn't even make it to Armstrong Mill for a couple of years. IIRC, it was the first thing built along the road, and it looked out of place until some of those subdivisions were built. At that time, it was all farm land on the south side of the road, mostly farm land on the north side.

[Why_Am_I_Here]

Did you get any pics?

[1greatcity]

^Unfortunately no. The traffic was heavy and I couldn't stop.
Do I understand correctly that fire station was built as a free-standing building and then covered up later?

[robertdilbert]

i am also curious as to why that station is underground.

[Cantalope]

My dad used to work there the reason it was underground was like he said before it was farmlands and it looked unnatural so they built over it and that lookout point used to be used to see fires in the grasslands

[cab591]

Possibly one of my favorite fire stations -- loved looking at it every time we drove by, growing up! Unfortunately I can't add anything to the history of it, just that it's really cool.

Unfortunately the computers at work have an outdated version of Internet Explorer, otherwise I'd post a Google Street View link. The address is 3700 Man O War Blvd, Lexington, KY 40515, should anyone want to look it up on Google Maps.

I believe it's Fire Station 16, but a google image search doesn't give many results.

Edit: Here's a picture and a little more info on it -- http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/44491

Edit 2: And here's straight from the city/county government -- http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=2798

Originally Posted by lexingtonky.gov

The History: Probably Lexington's most well-known firehouse, Station #16 is a unique underground structure nicknamed "The Cave." While most assume the station was "built into the side of a hill," Station #16 is actually a concrete dome covered by earth. The design was selected for its energy efficiency and its ability to remain a steady temperature even if power is lost.