Key Number:	HS 31715
Site Name:	Strathcona Fire Hall No. 1
Other Names:	Old Firehall No. 6
Site Type:	1312 - Governmental: Fire Station or Hall

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			52	24	4

Address:	10322 - 83 Avenue NW
Number:	22
Street:	103 NW
Avenue:	83 NW
Other:
Town:	Edmonton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:	Romanesque Revival
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Brick
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Flat
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Towers, Steeples and Domes: Tower
Exterior:	Asymetrical hose tower. Exterior restored to ca. 1912 appearance. Stone Quoins and voussiors, asymmetrical bell-hose tower. Stone keystones over windows and door arches stone brackets, frieze and soffits.
Interior:	Has been remodeled to suit theatre function. Has been converted to a theatre See Strathcona Plaindealer August 20, 1909 for interior description - Copy in file # R66L
Environment:	Neighbourhood: Strathcona Old Firehall #6 is located in historic Old Strathcona. Old Strathcona preservation area. Institutional.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good. 5 FEB 1978. Basically the building and bell tower appear structurally sound. The brick walls are in good condition.
Alterations:	The exterior structure of Firehall #6 has been virtually unchanged except for the addition of the Walterdale Playouse sign. The interior has been somewhat restructured and renovated to accomodate its new theatrical function. The concrete floors are mainly recovered in hardwood strips. The original parapet was removed sometime after 1914. New windows second floor.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Construction Started Construction completed	1909/01/08 1910/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Fire hall #6 Warehouse Walterdale Playhouse Theatre	1910/01/01 1954/01/01 1974/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Thomas A. Andeson Nanton & Munson Town of Strathcona City of Edmonton City of Edmonton	1888/10/13 1891/10/14 1901/06/12 1950/08/08 1951/10/05

Architect:	Wilson
Builder:	J.M. Eaton
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	In 1901, a two-door firehall was erected in Strathcona for the newly formed Strathcona Volunteer Fire Brigade. Considered too cold and unsanitary to live in it was replaced by a new and larger firehall constructed nearby. This second firehall was begun in 1909 with Wilson and Herrald as the local architects. Due to a structural wall crack, it was not completed until 1910. This new #1 Strathcona Firehall was renamed Firehall #6 after amalgamation in 1912. The Edmonton Fire Department occupied Firehall #6 until ca. 1954 when they moved across the street to a modern Firehall #6. Strathcona Furniture used the old firehall as a furniture warehouse until 1974. During these twenty years, the building deteriorated badly. In 1974, Watlerdale Playhouse took over the lease on condition they restore the firehall. Became Firehall # 6 upon Amalgamation with Edmonton in 1912 used by Strathcona furniture as a warehouse. Original cost - $ 13,715.00. One storey extension on back originally used as stables. Present Owner - City Of Edmonton, (Walterdale Theatre) Property branch registered Historic Site 1888 October 13 Owner: Thomas A. Anderson 1950 August 8 Owner: City of Edmonton (Present Owner) ***** Proposals for a new Fire Hall for the City of Strathcona were submitted to Council in June 1909 by local Architects Wilson and Herrald and Mr. Whiddington. The plans submitted by Wilson and Herrald were chosen by Council in August 1909 with practically no alterations. Tenders were advertised and the construction contract was let to J.M. Eaton for $13,715.00 in August 1909. The construction of the Fire Hall was completed in 1910 on a site formerly occupied by the old electrical supply building. The ceiling of the first floor has a distinctive characteristic as it is supported by massive wooden crossbeams which in turn are reinforced by steel rods. The main entrance is also distinctive featuring large wooden doors. Currently this building is in a deteriorated condition as repairs and needed upkeep have been neglected. Mechanical and electrical systems were replaced approximately 15 years ago and are in working order. Original light fixtures have been abandoned in favour of newer ones. This building has deteriorated to the point where major renovations will be required to restore it to functional use. *** Strathcona's first fire hall, built before 1906, was a wood frame structure, and by 1909 was in need of replacement. The present building was finished in 1910 and was in continuous use until a new fire hall was opened across the street in 1954. The original fire engines were horse drawn, so the hall had to serve as a stable as well as a garage for the engines and a dormitory for the firemen. Fire prevention by-laws were passed in 1902. Strathcona had an exclusively volunteer corps of firemen. During their two-year service period, the fire hall became a second home to these men. The architectural interest of this building is concentrated in its facade and its tower. Stone quoins and a wide cornice outline the facade, and the fire engine byas are delineated by oversized voussoirs. This use of exaggerated classical elements suggests the influence of the Richardsonian Romanesque - a style popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A large pediment-shaped parapet displaying the name of the fire hall originally completed the facade. Standing 77 feet high, the cupola-topped tower of Fire Hall #6 was a landmark in early Strathcona. One of the tallest structures in the town, it housed the hall's alarm bell and drying racks for the fire hoses. Originally Fire Hall #1, this building became Fire Hall #6 in 1912 as a result of Strathcona's amalgamation with Edmonton. Today it is the only surviving fire hall from this era in Edmonton, and one of the very few in Alberta. In 1974, Fire Hall #6 was converted to house the Walterdale Playhouse Theatre, and was designated a Registered Historical Resource two years later. * * * FIRE HALL NO.6 (1910) Reborn As Walterdale Playhouse The theatre-bound now flock where horse-drawn fire wagons were once launched on errands of mercy in Old Strathcona. Fire Hall No.6 was first known as Strathcona Fire Hall Number One. After Strathcona amalgamated with its successful cross-river rival in 1912, the building's name was changed. The home of the Walterdale Playhouse amateur theatre group, the exterior of this vintage fire hall was restored to its original 1910 condition. Trees sprout from the base of the building and an interlocking brick patio sports a concrete sign indicating the hall's new use - a lofty elevation from its days as a deteriorating furniture warehouse. Contractor J.M. Eaton, who submitted a tender for $13,715, the lowest of five received built the fire hall in 1910. Heating and plumbing cost $998. Another $2,000 was required to finish the hall due to structural cracks in the walls and an embarrassing lean in the bell tower. At the time, The Edmonton Bulletin termed the design 'unusually commodious and handsome.' Designed by south side architects Arthur G. Wilson and David E. Herrald, the fire hall contained stables in the rear for nine horses, with loft and feed bins overhead. The area behind the Walterdale stage is used to build and store theatre sets. The garage area, once used to house fire wagons, has been converted to the theatre proper and a curved lobby area. Two of the front bays are closed with cedar partitions, while the third is used as the patron's entrance. An 11-foot-square bell and hose tower was erected to a height of 77 feet with a rack to accommodate firehose. The original town bell of Strathcona was installed and remains there today. The second floor was divided into a chief's office and a bedroom, a firemen's band room, general hall, five bedrooms for firemen, and bathrooms with showers. There were two sliding poles to the main floor. The poles are now gone and the holes covered. Walterdale also converted the upstairs to lighting and sound room, furnace room, wardrobe and set rooms, and actors change areas. The building was used as a fire hall until 1954 when it was leased to Strathcona Furniture as a warehouse. It narrowly avoided destruction the previous year. The building was used for storing furniture until 1974 when it was renovated and leased to Walterdale Playhouse for $1 a year and taxes. The hall is constructed of brick with stone quoins, cornices, and oversize visors in the large arched garage doors, which provides some ornament. Alberta Culture noted that the exterior is almost completely original. The province designated the fire hall a Registered Historic Resource in 1976. It was then the oldest remaining fire hall of its vintage in Edmonton and Calgary. * * * SITE DATA FORM HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE: In 1901, a two-door firehall was erected in Strathcona for the newly formed Strathcona Volunteer Fire Brigade. Considered too cold and unsanitary to live in, it was replaced by a new and larger firehall constructed nearby. This second firehall was begun in 1909 with Wilson and Herrald as the local architects. Due to a structural wall crack, it was not completed until 1910. This new #1 Strathcona Firehall was renamed Firehall #6 after amalgamation in 1912. The Edmonton Fire Department occupied Firehall #6 until ca. 1954 when they moved across the street to a modern Firehall #6. Strathcona Furniture used the old firehall as a furniture warehouse until 1974. During these twenty years, the building deteriorated badly. In 1974, Walterdale Playhouse took over the lease on condition they restore the firehall. PRESENT CONDITION: Currently being renovated and restored by Walterdale Playhouse as part of their lease condition. Exterior restored to ca. 1912 appearance; interior is being remodeled for theatrical purposes. *** *** *** Strathcona Fire Hall Description of Historic Place Strathcona Fire Hall No. 1 is a two-storey red brick building situated on a single lot in Edmonton's historic Strathcona district. Built between 1909 and 1910, the fire hall features quoined round arches around the three sets of double vehicle doors, an attached brick bell tower, and a prominent classical cornice surmounted by a reconstructed, pedimented parapet featuring the words "FIRE HALL No 1". Heritage Value The heritage value of Strathcona Fire Hall No. 1 lies in its status as the oldest major fire hall extant in Alberta and one of the earliest public buildings still standing in the Strathcona district. It also possesses heritage value as an excellent example of early twentieth century fire hall construction and design. In 1891, the Edmonton & Calgary (C & E) Railway line arrived on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River and subdivided the township of South Edmonton. Situated at the end of steel, the new township grew rapidly. The Klondike Gold Rush further swelled the city's population and in 1899 the settlement was incorporated as the Town of Strathcona. The town's burgeoning population and the large number of wood-frame structures in the community necessitated the creation of fire fighting facilities. In 1901, Strathcona built its first fire hall, a two-door, wood framed structure manned by the Strathcona Volunteer Fire Brigade. Continued growth led to the incorporation of the City of Strathcona in 1907 and the need for a larger and better appointed fire hall. Construction on the Strathcona Fire Hall No. 1 was initiated in 1909 and completed the following year. With the amalgamation of Strathcona and Edmonton in 1912, the station was renamed the Edmonton Fire Hall No. 6. It continued to function as a fire fighting facility until 1954, when a new fire hall was constructed. For the next two decades, the Strathcona Fire Hall was used as a storage facility. In 1974, the building became the home of the Walterdale Theatre Group. It has since served as an integral part of the lively theatre scene in Edmonton's Old Strathcona district - a hub for performing arts in western Canada. Designed by local architectural firm Wilson and Herrald and built by contractor J.M. Eaton, the Strathcona Fire Hall is typical of fire hall facilities of the period. The building features three vehicle doors surrounded by quoined round arches, a prominent classical cornice, and a prominent, 77 foot high bell tower. At the time of its construction, the fire hall accommodated three fire wagons, nine horses in its rear stable, and included an upper level complete with a chief's office, general hall, bedrooms, band room, bathroom with shower, and two fire poles. The fire hall is a stellar example of early twentieth century fire hall construction and design and the oldest extant fire hall in Edmonton and Calgary. It is also a local landmark and a vital contributor to the historic ambience of Edmonton's justly renowned Old Strathcona area. Source: Alberta Community Development, Heritage Resource Management Branch (File: Des. 209) Character-Defining Elements The character-defining elements of the Strathcona Fire Hall No. 1 include such features as: - mass, form, scale, and style; - red brick facades and jack arches; - initials of firefighters carved into brick front facade; - dentillated upper level, sheet metal cornice supported by embellished brackets; - cast stone elements, including quoins on corners of front facade, sills, keystones, stringcourse below upper level cornice, and quoined round arches surrounding three vehicle double doors; - three vehicle double doors, including diagonal arrangement of wood in panels, placement of support beams, original hardware, and multi-panelled arched fanlights; - fenestration pattern and style, including nine over nine double hung windows in the bell tower, - original single-hung sash windows; - attached brick bell tower featuring stone decorative elements, octagonal brick cupola with masonry arches, and belfry topped by white domed octagonal roof; - original, 3 foot diameter bronze bell. Theme(s): Governing Canada: Security and Law Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life: Architecture and Design

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource Municipal Historic Resource	2007/09/13 2011/09/14

Register:	A92

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: