Description of Historic Place

Fire Hall No. 4, built 1909, is a two-storey, red-brick building situated in the city's Bridgeland-Riverside neighbourhood, north of the Bow River and downtown Calgary. The building, two-and-one-half bays in width, is a functional example the Edwardian Classical style. Two large arched doorways distinguish the primary facade. The property was protected as a Municipal Historic Resource in 1999 and as a Provincial Registered Historic Resource in 2003.

Heritage Value

This building is historically significant for its 39 years of service as Calgary's Fire Hall No. 4. The building fulfilled this role from 1909 to 1922, and again from 1952 to 1978.

Fire Hall No. 4 recalls Calgary's development boom at the time of its construction in 1909, and the rapid expansion of the city's fire department which resulted. 1909 was a year of great advancement for the Calgary Fire Department, with the force becoming fully paid and inaugurating three sub-stations which included Fire Hall No. 4, as well as those in Bankview (No.5) and Hillhurst (No.6). The building campaign that included Fire Hall No.4 doubled the number of Calgary Fire Department facilities to six. Of these, Fire Hall No. 4 is especially notable as the first facility of the Calgary Fire Department to be established north of the Bow River. Establishment of this fire hall likewise reflects the rapid development of the Bridgeland and Riverside neighbourhoods, which were annexed by The City of Calgary in 1907 and 1910 respectively. The fire hall was built just inside the boundaries of Bridgeland and helped fulfill the city's service obligations to the newly annexed area. The fire hall was positioned to be equally convenient to Riverside and served that area upon its annexation. In fact, the fire hall was originally known as the Riverside Station.

Fire Hall No. 4 is also of architectural value as one of only five fire halls built in the first half of the twentieth century to survive in Calgary. The design of Fire Hall No. 4 is representative of several of Calgary's early fire halls, being one of three identical stations to be built in 1909. Of these three fire halls, only Fire Halls Nos. 4 and 6 remain. Constructed of red brick and largely unadorned, Fire Hall No. 4 exemplifies the secondary, neighbourhood stations built for the City of Calgary that did not incorporate police stations. A functional interpretation of the Edwardian Classical style, the building's detailing includes a few classical references such as keystones, a billeted brickwork cornice and recessed bands of brick that mimic a classical rusticated base. The building's original purpose is recalled by the two large front and two rear openings on the first storey that provided access for the fire equipment. Initially this equipment included one Roland engine with a 1818-litre (400 gallon) capacity and one standard hose wagon. The building's second storey served as sleeping and recreational quarters for members of the brigade. In 1926 Fire Hall No. 4 was made available to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and became the Calgary YMCA's first official branch. The facility offered a variety of social and educational programmes to young people as well as numerous physical activities. Physical activities offered by the Riverside location included callisthenics, boxing, hockey, basketball and gymnastics. The Riverside YMCA branch initially focused on activities for boys, but later gained a large membership of girls, offering classes in sewing, tap-dance and art, as well as a physical training programme. When the Riverside branch was established, one of its major purposes was to promote the assimilation of the largely German speaking Russian population of the neighbourhood. The building served as a YMCA until 1948 when it was returned to the City of Calgary.

Source: City of Calgary Heritage Planning File 06-149

Character-Defining Elements

The exterior character-defining elements of Fire Hall No. 4 include such features as its:
- two-storey, long rectangular plan, with a flat roof and with a short facade two-and-one-half bays in width;
- brick construction with a pressed, red-brick facade and stone detailing (keystones);
- brickwork detailing such as the stringcourses, banding, window sills, and a billeted cornice;
- regular fenestration with segmental arched windows and one-over-one, wooden-sash, side elevation windows;
- two, large, segmental arched openings on the main facade's first storey and two similar openings on the first storey at the rear of the building;
- central entry with a round-headed opening.