Firehall No. 1

Built in 1890 and manned by volunteer firefighters, this structure is the oldest brick fire hall in Alberta. It was expanded and rebuilt on this site in 1908, with larger doors for new equipment and additional space for permanent firefighters and their families. Designed by James A. MacDonald and built by Smith Bros. & Wilson, this Italianate-style building housed the Fire Department, City Hall, and Police Department and was called the Municipal Building until 1917, with old police cells in the basement. In June 1912 the Fire Department took over the horse drawn ambulance service from the Galt Hospital and has operated both fire protection and ambulance service (EMS) since that time. In 1975, Fire Headquarters moved to 5th Avenue North, and the building was closed and stood vacant for many years. Peter Fiorino purchased it in 1996 and devoted hundreds of hours of his own labour and craftsmanship to its restoration and rehabilitation. It now includes a restaurant and bar on the main floor, retail and office space on the second floor, and a private apartment on the third floor with a garden patio on the roof, and it is a Provincial Designated Historic Resource.

Alberta · Canada