Rossland Fire Hall/City Hall
2276.0029: Rossland Fire Hall in 1901.
Historical Name: Rossland Fire Hall/City Hall
Common Name: The Old Fire Hall
Physical Address: 2115 Queen Street
Date of Construction: 1901
Architectural Style: Edwardian Institutional Classicism
Tourism Rossland/Dave Heath - September 12th, 2019
The Old Fire Hall, first opened in 1901, is an important icon of Rossland’s history. Occupying two city lots elevated above the downtown core, the fire hall is highly visible over the buildings. Constructed in an Edwardian Classicism style, the fire hall is reminiscent of a time when the decorative Victorian style was becoming more industrial. A key feature of Edwardian buildings that is present in the fire hall is the oversized keystones above the doors and windows. Shortly after the building was opened, it also became the site of City Hall.
The building was designed to cater to all of the needs of the fire department, with lodging in the upper levels, stables in the back for horses, and three large arched doorways to allow for the speedy exit of the horse-drawn carts. The horses would occasionally be taken out by the schoolboys for exercise. In 1938 the pull wagons and horses ceased to be used as a new motorized truck was brought into town.
Eventually, the requirements of the fire department outgrew the capabilities of the old fire hall: the arched doorways were too small for modern motor trucks to fit through easily, and the floors not sturdy enough to support the increasingly heavy vehicles and gear being used.
2276.0046: Rossland Fire Department first motor truck ready for a parade, circa 1925. Kenneth Martin Fire Chief & Rod Marrison at the wheel.
Hackney's Moving Picture Hall and Embleton Grocery Store in the background.
Rossland Fire Department’s sign to notify the public where the alarm boxes around town are.
A key feature of the fire hall is the prominent hose/bell tower on its southeastern corner. When one of the fifty fire alarm boxes around town was activated, the bell would ring the number of times associated with that box. Besides holding the bell that would ring out for fires, it also was used to dry the fire hoses which were made of canvas to prevent rot and disintegration. The tower was torn down in 1961 once it was replaced by an electronic siren. The bell was given to Red Mountain Ski Hill. In 1992 it was rebuilt with the original bell, nicknamed ‘Stella’, now sitting on display in the fire hall lower level.
2276.0038: Changing the skyline - October 26, 1961. The old bell tower of Rossland's City Fire Hall is no more. Picture showing the tower during the removal process.
In 1988 City Hall moved out of the building and to Columbia Avenue. Around this time, a BC Heritage Trust grant was approved to aid in the restoration of the building, and work began to convert the building for use as a museum. In addition to the grant money, large amounts of volunteer and community work also contributed to the bulk of labour and some of the restoration costs. The fire hall officially became the BC Fire Fighter Museum on 11 July 1992. This coincided with the ninth annual convention of the Volunteer Firefighters’ Association of BC, hosted in Rossland.
While the specific date of the closure of the museum is unknown, since then, the building has been used for multiple different purposes. In 2006 the building was purchased and rehabilitated for use as a café, wine bar, and cultural facility. The upper storey was also renovated into three condominiums. In 2014, the Rossland Social Club began to operate in the building, and in 2019 Mook Thai Cuisine relocated to the commercial space on the ground floor.
For more information:
Historic Places Canada: Rossland City Hall / Fire Hall
Rossland Heritage Commission Official Heritage Register - Buildings: Rossland City Hall / Fire Hall
Continue the downtown tour:
Contribute your own memories/experiences of the Rossland Fire Hall/City Hall:
The form below will email us your message. If you prefer to speak to us directly or have other questions or comments about this page, please call (250) 362-7722 or email the archives directly at archives@rosslandmuseum.ca