West Street #1

1896 – With the Maynard St firehouse nearing the end of its useable life the need for a new and updated station in the area became a priority. The Northwest corner of Maynard at West St was chosen, a stone throw from the previous house. Designed and built with the help of the full-time staff of the department to keep costs down this station would be large enough to house the growing staff and fleet needed to protect the ever-expanding North end of the City. Ornate in design with a beautiful tray ceiling on the apparatus floor along with carved pilasters adorning the walls, this house was the pride of the city and eventually would even house the very first motorized pumper in Canada, a 1913 American LaFrance known as “The Patricia”. Plans for this house were drawn up by a member of Halifax Fire’s on-call force, William Fidler. William would go on to design a second firehouse in 1908, the Morris St station.