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Top Ten Endangered Sites
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(Updated - Saved in 2012)
 Conern for Firehall No. 15 persists:
it's the last remaining of its kind still in use Firehall No. 13 was demolished in 2002. Built in 1913,
Firehall No. 15 features extensive interior woodwork, ornate pressed-metal ceilings, and the original brass pole.
The hose towers and distinctive bracketed eaves
of these Craftsman-influenced structures were once familiar
landmarks in neighbourhoods across the city.
An RFP has been issued for designs for a replacement
firehall on the same site. But to demolish the existing building
would be wasteful and unnecessary - it could easily be re-located
across the street in Renfrew Park, perhaps adjacent to the
library or at the old wading pool.
The old Marpole Firehall saw new life as the
Marpole Place Seniors' Centre; surely Firehall #15 could make
a similar contribution to its community.
Updated
19 May 2006: Council is now considering options for
a replacement hall, and Firehall #15 is now under serious
threat of being demolished. HV has sent a new letter to city
hall.
Updated
03 August 2006: On July 20, 2006, Vancouver City
Council approved the retension of the firehall on the current
site, for incorporation/attachment to a new fire hall facility,
and funds will be allocated for a full restoration of the
building.
Updated
26 February 2007: In a sudden backtrack of last year's vote
to save the firehall, city hall is once again voting on it's fate, on
Thursday, March 1. The internal recommendations are to demolish the building, and
build new. As of Wednesday evening, the online petition to save the building
has received 361 signatures in favour of retention. We await the decision...again.
Updated May 9, 2009: Council has approved retention of one of Vancouver's last Edwardian-era firehalls. Despite our support of this initiative, we wish to express grave concerns about the potential approach to this restoration as described in the Staff Report. The description of the exterior work indicates a serious disregard of Heritage Standards & Guidelines, specifically the destruction of exterior features and their replication through the application of a new rain screen façade. It is too early in the project to make sweeping decisions about the approach to restoration. We strongly suggest that before any decisions are made, that there be sufficient investigation of the condition of exterior materials, and that every effort be made to retain, rather than replace, the historic exterior fabric.
Updated May 12, 2012: Success! After appearing on our Top 10 Endangered Sites list for five times over the last dozen years, starting in 2001, the grand old lady Firehall #15 has a full new lease on life, restored, looking better than original (if possible!), and incorporated into a new firehall. It's grand re-opening was held May 12, 2012, just shy of it's 100th year birthday.
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