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 Nelson Fire Hall - Nelson, BC Posted by:  ScroogieII
N 49° 29.306 W 117° 17.442
11U E 478946 N 5481795
At 919 Ward Street in Nelson, one will find the the oldest operating firehall in British Columbia. Not only is it a gorgeous old fire hall, but it houses a museum, as well.
Waymark Code: WM1337Q
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 09/06/2020
Views: 0
Two years in the making, the fire hall entered service on May 21, 1913, 107 years and some days ago as of today. It was built by John Burns & Son to replace the previous fire hall, which served the city from 1894. The location is up the hill, further from downtown than the old one. It was felt that because of much residential construction to the south of downtown, up the hill, this would be a more suitable location.
In May and June of 2013 the fire hall celebrated its 100th anniversary with several events: hosting the spring meeting of the Fire Chiefs' Association of BC, hosting an anniversary reception at their own museum, holding a phenomenally successful open-house barbeque at the fire station and joining with the Nelson Road Kings Car Club annual car show to co-host an antique fire truck display, which their twin 1944 Bickle-Seagrave engine and ladder trucks attended.
Added to the south end of Nelson's Historic No. 1 firehall is a small museum which houses, among other things, two 1944 Seagate Bickell Fire Trucks, a pumper and a ladder truck, large manual fire extinguishers, fire alarm stations and indicators and cabinets full of smaller fire fighting paraphernalia.
The museum is barely large enough to squeeze in the two fire engines, but they've managed to get a bunch of other really interesting artefacts in the place, as well.
What they're attempting to accomplish with the museum is to capture the history of fire fighting in Nelson, and they have the perfect venue in Nelson's and BC's oldest operating fire station. The building dates from 1913, and out front is a fire bell donated to the original fire department by the ladies of Nelson in 1894.
Nelson Fire Hall
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Nelson Fire Hall is a landmark brick building with a tall hose tower located on the north-eastern corner of Ward and Latimer streets in Nelson, B.C.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Nelson Fire Hall is important for its historical and continued use as a fire hall combined with the aesthetic value of its striking architectural design.
The Nelson Fire Hall is representative of the ongoing efforts of the city and its citizens to prevent and fight fires. Since 1890, the city of Nelson was conscious of the threat of fire and took steps to prevent it. In March of 1897 one of the first by-laws passed by the newly incorporated city was to prohibit the construction of wood frame buildings in the downtown core. Early precautions to prevent fires included bringing water from Ward Creek to tanks on Baker and Vernon streets and water tanks built by owners of adjacent buildings. Beginning with the Deluge Hook and Ladder Company, the city has had an official fire brigade since 1891, and it continues to this day.
Completed in 1813 by John Burns & Son on the corner of Ward and Latimer streets, the building is designed in an Italian Villa style, modified to accommodate motorized fire vehicles. Its brick construction, belfry, hose tower and formal facade give it a sense of both strength and design, an architecturally important building designed specifically to house the fire hall functions.
The location of the present fire hall at Ward and Latimer streets is significant as its construction moved the fire fighting facility out of the downtown core from its location at Victoria and Josephine Streets and into the residential district due to the expansion of suburban residential lots. Initially rejected as a suitable location, the site was selected for its proximity to increasingly dense residential areas and a number of local schools. A new fire hall was needed to accommodate the purchase of a 1918 American La France Pumper truck, the city’s first motorized fire vehicle.
The building is culturally valuable as a testament to long history of carefully considered alterations to historical buildings in the city. Over the years, the building has had three separate sympathetic additions by different architects, as the fire service adapted to the needs of a growing city. A local landmark, the building has been in continuous use as a fire hall since its construction in 1912 and received a heritage building of the year award in 1984.
From the City of Nelson Heritage Register, Page 94
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]
Address:
919 Ward Street
Nelson, BC
V1L 1T5
Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
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