List of historic Toronto fire stations
Encyclopedia
Historic Toronto Fire Stations are primarily in the downtown core and with the former Toronto Fire Department.
Fire stations built from the late 19th century and up to 1950s varied in style. Fire halls built from the 1950s to 1980s tended to be utilitarian in design and found in the suburbs (North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke). The latest fire stations are modern, but they often lack the character of older fire stations in the city.
Most fire halls built after the 1940s are demolished when they retired and rearly re-used.
Located just off Yonge Street
, south of St. Clair Avenue
, Balmoral Fire Hall was built in an era when horses pulled hose wagons through its double doors. Still visible along the east wall is a second-storey projecting beam and doorway where hay was hoisted into a loft for feed. In the rear, a tower capable of drying 50-foot hoses still stands. The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990, for its rare adoption of the Queen Anne style
. The status entitles it to a federal plaque, but, as of 2011, none has been erected.
Fire stations built from the late 19th century and up to 1950s varied in style. Fire halls built from the 1950s to 1980s tended to be utilitarian in design and found in the suburbs (North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke). The latest fire stations are modern, but they often lack the character of older fire stations in the city.
Most fire halls built after the 1940s are demolished when they retired and rearly re-used.
Amsterdam
- Station 227
- Built: 1905 as Toronto Fire Department (TFD) 17
- Location: 1904 Queen Street East, The Beach
- Main structure: Three-storey main Queen Anne structure with a clock tower and a single vehicle bay.
- Additional structures: A tower is on the side of this structure and an additional bay which was added later.
- Station 226
- Built: 1910-11 as TFD 22
- Location: 87 Main Street, Upper Beaches
- Main Structure: A two-storey main structure houses two vehicle bays. A tower is located at the rear of the building.
- Additional Structure: Two-storey Romanesque Revival with a bay window structure. Original Station 2 (storey wood fire hall with tower) next door was demolished after 1911
- Station 311
- Balmoral Fire Hall National Historic Site
- Built: 1911 as TFD 24
- Location: 20 Balmoral Avenue, Deer Park
- Main Structure: A three-storey Romanesque Revival main structure with two bays
- Nickname: 311: Knights of Balmoral
Located just off Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
, south of St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road , north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street....
, Balmoral Fire Hall was built in an era when horses pulled hose wagons through its double doors. Still visible along the east wall is a second-storey projecting beam and doorway where hay was hoisted into a loft for feed. In the rear, a tower capable of drying 50-foot hoses still stands. The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990, for its rare adoption of the Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
. The status entitles it to a federal plaque, but, as of 2011, none has been erected.
A national historic site
- Station 343
- Built: 1916 as TFD 25
- Location: 65 Hendrick Avenue, Wychwood
- Main Structure: A three-storey main structure with two bays. Tower located in the rear.
- Station 344
- Built: 1910 as TFD 23
- Location: 240 Howland Avenue, Davenport
- Main Structure: A three-storey main structure with two bays, similar to Station 226.
- Additional Structure: Two-storey Victorian bay window structure.
Colonial revival
- Station 423
- Built: 1959 as TFD 20 - Replacing previous hall on same site built in 1890 (WTJ Fire Hall No. 1)
- Location: 358 Keele Street
- Nickname: West Toronto - The Junction
- Station 325
- Built: 1954 as TFD 7
- Location: 475 Dundas Street East
- Main Structure: A long two-storey main structure with three bays.
- Nickname: Fort Apache
Residential
- Station 342
- Built: 1912 as TFD 27
- Location: 106 Ascot Avenue
- Main Structure: A two-storey station with one small bay. Old Station 27 next door (1913) now semi-detach home
- Nickname: Mid-Town Mob
- Station 424
- Built: 1929 as TFD 31
- Location: 462 Runnymede Road
- Main Structure: Two-storey building which looks like a house-conversion with two bays.
- Station 425
- Built: 1930 as TFD 16
- Location: 83 DeForest Road
- Main Structure: Like Station 424, it looks like a house conversion. The single-storey building has two bays.
- Station 435
- Built: 1930 as Etobicoke Fire Department Station 9
- Location: 130 Eighth Street
- Main Structure: This two-storey station was built in three stages with the four bays being the newer portion of the building.
- Nickname: R435: The Lone Wolf
Tudor
- Station 131
- Built: 1931
- Location: 3135 Yonge Street
- Main Structure: A two-storey building with 2 bays
- Station 134
- Built: 1932 as TFD 28
- Location: 16 Montgomery Avenue
- Main Structure: A two-storey building which looks like the houses beside it.
- Station 346
- Built: 1912 - as TFD 32
- Location: CNE grounds near the Dufferin Gates and operational during the Canadian National Exhibition in August and September
- Main Structure: The two-storey structure has two bays and a five-storey clock tower.
- Additional Structures: It is also home to Toronto EMSToronto EMSToronto Emergency Medical Services is the statutory Emergency medical services provider for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The service is operated directly as a branch of the municipal government as an independent, third-service option provider, which means that the service is funded by...
and Toronto Police ServiceToronto Police ServiceThe Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
stations. - Designed by: G.W. Gouinlock
- Station 314
- Built: 1929 - as TFD 3
- Location: 32 Grosvenor Street near Yonge Street
Clock tower
- Station 312
- Built: 1878 for Yorkville Fire Department, became TFD 10 upon annexation in 1883.
- Location: 34 Yorkville Avenue
- Main Structure: It is one of the city's oldest active fire halls. The two-storey structure has a five-storey clock tower with three bays (additional bay added later). It has a coat of arms from the old Yorkville Town HallYorkville Town HallYorkville Town Hall was the municipal building for the Town of Yorkville before annexation into the City of Toronto. Built in 1859-1860 by architect William Hay and his apprentice Henry Langley, the 3 storey building served as an omnibus stop. Located north of Bloor on Yonge Street, it was...
. It was restored in 1974.
- Station 315
-
- Built: 1878 as TFD 8
- Location: 132 Bellevue Avenue
- Main Structure: Like Station 312, this is one of the city's oldest stations. It is a two-storey structure with an eight-storey clock tower. It has three bays, one from the original building. The current tower is a replica of the original tower and built in 1972.
Other
- Station 30
- Built: 1928
- Location: 39 Commissioners Street
- Main Structure: 2 floor brick hall with one bay (bricked off); used by Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Union as clubhouse and Greater Toronto Multiple Alarms Association as meeting place
- Station 114
- Built: 1989 and 1942 as North York Fire Department Station 1
- Location: 12 Canterbury Place / Yonge Street and Empress Avenue
- Main Structure: It is the second building to bear the name Ivan M. Nelson Fire Station. The first was North York Fire Station 1 at Yonge and Empress Avenue. It is now the site of Empress Walk. The 1942 fire hall is gone, but the hose tower and archway entrance remain. The colonial revival was built in 1942 by Murray Brown on the site of a former municipal building. An additional bay was added in 1952. The station was torn down in 1989, but the hose tower was preserved and the stone entrance incorporated with the rear exit at the mall.
- Station 135
- Built: 1932 as Forest Hill Fire Department Station 1 (Forest Hill was annexed into Toronto in 1967)and Forest Hill Police Headquarters.
- Location: 641 Eglinton Avenue West
- Main Structure: This semi-detached structure has two bays.
- Station 314
- Built: 1926 as TFD 3
- Location: 12 Grosvenor Street
- Main Structure: The station is also called Pumper 314: Running the Strip. TFD 3 dates back to 1874, the original station is located on Yonge St. and is now a club. It has two bays.
Art Deco
- Station 324
- Built: 1934 as TFD 12
- Location: 840 Gerrard Street East
- Main Structure: The station is very symmetrical with 3 bays.
Retired fire stations
- Hose Number 6
- Built: 1847, rebuilt 1872
- Location: Queen Street West at John Street, east of Spadina Avenue:
- Main Structure: Like stations 315 and 312, it had a clock tower, but it has since been demolished.
- Station 13
- Built: ?, closed 1972
- Location: Dundas Street West and St. Clarens Avenue
- Main Structure: Demolished and vacant
- Station 19
- Built: 1910
- Location: 386 Perth Avenue - Perth near Dupont Avenue
- Main Structure: Demolished after 1963
- Ladder 14
- Built: 1937
- Location: Ossington Avenue and Bloor Street West
- Main Structure: Demolished
- Station 31/33
- Built: 1923
- Location: 84 Cibola Avenue (moved from 11 Cibola in 1960)
- ex-Station 31; retired 1993 and now home to Island Canoe Club
- Fire Hall Number 3
-
- Built: 1872
- Location: 484 Yonge Street
- Main Structure: Like Hose Number 6, this station also had a clock tower. The tower remains, but the main structure has since been demolished, being replaced in this instance by a retail building.
- Fire Hall Number 1
- Built: 1841
- Location: 139-141 Bay Street - southeast corner of Bay and Temperance Street
- Two storey brick structure demolished in 1924
- Berkeley Fire Hall Number 4
- Built 1905
- Location: 70 Berkeley Street - southwest corner of Berkeley and Adelaide Street East
- Two storey brick structure with tower (clock portion removed) built by architect A. Frank Wickson; converted to theatre 1972 and home to Alumnae TheatreAlumnae TheatreThe Alumnae Theatre, known most often as The Alum, is the oldest theatre society in Toronto, Canada still in operation. It was founded in 1919 by female graduates of the University of Toronto who wanted to continue to participate in semi-professional theatre after graduation...
.
- Hose 15 / Ladder 18
- Built 1920s
- Location: 220 Cowan Avenue - Cowan and Queen Street West
- Closed 1935 with Station 18 now home to Masarayk-Cowan Community Centre
- North York Fire Hall 1
- Built: 1942
- Location: 5095 Yonge Street at Empress Avenue
- Colonial Revival building demolished to make way for retail-condo complex (Empress WalkEmpress WalkEmpress Walk is a large condominum and retail complex at the intersection of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue in the North York Centre area of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Developed by Menkes Development, Phase 1 was completed in 1997 and Phase 2 by 2000...
) in 1989; tower moved to Princess Park in the rear.
- Scarborough Fire Hall 1
- Built: 1925
- Location: 351 Birchmount Road
- Closed 1998 (station moved to TFS Station 225 at 3600 Danforth Road) and now Scarborough Fire Museum and Historical Building
Station Logos
A few stations across the city have special logos defining the communities they serve:- Station 111 - Bayview Village
- Station 113 - Spirit of Seneca Hill
- Station 114 - Knights of Canterbury
- Station 121 - Hogg's Hollow
- Station 135 - Forest Hill
- Station 212 - The Zoo Crew
- Station 214 - Highland Creekers
- Station 224 - Woodbine
- Station 232 - Crazy Eights
- Station 235 - Parkway Prowlers
- Station 243 - Men Of Ten
- Station 244 - Tam O'Shanter
- Station 245 - No Fear
- Station 311 - Knights of Balmoral (1911)
- Station 312 - Yorkville
- Station 313 - Beast of Bloor (1874)
- Station 314 - Running the Strip (1871)
- Station 322 - East York Fire
- Station 323 - Greektown Fire
- Station 325 - Cabbagetown Fire
- Station 332 - The Show Must Go On 1841
- Station 333 - Market District
- Station 334 - Marine
- Station 342 - Mid Town Mob (1915)
- Station 421 - Mount Dennis
- Station 423 - West Toronto - The Junction
- Station 426 - Pride of Parkdale
- Station 432 - Cloverdale
- Station 435 - Lone Wolf - On Shore Patrol