Description of Historic Place

No. 2 Fire Station is located on 199 St. George Street, in Moncton. It consists of an early 20th century two story square red brick utilitarian Italianate industrial building.

Heritage Value

No. 2 Fire Station is designated as a Local Historic Place for it Utilitarian Italianate architecture and for its importance in the history of Moncton’s Fire Department.

In 1898, Fire Chief George Ackman and the Fire Committee Chief, Alderman Fred Givan, issued reports indicating the need for a larger and more modern firefighting facility. The wooden structure had been used since 1885. John Edingdon, city engineer, drew up the plans for the brick fire station that would house No. 2 Hose Company. G. O. Dunham began work on the building in 1899. During the construction of the building, the wooden structure was destroyed by a fire. In September 1900, No. 2 Fire Station was officially opened. It became one of four brick fire stations of similar design that served Moncton in the early 20th century.

The utilitarian Italianate design was appropriate for the space needed for the firefighting equipment which included a motorized Waterous fire engine that marked the end of horses at the station, a Diaphone Horn, a Standard Triple combination motor fire engine (restored and still used in a PR capacity today) and the first combination resuscitator-inhaler-aspirator. The westernmost third of the building was added when Ford’s Pharmacy purchased it in 1962. The fire department relocated to St. George Street in 1961. In 1996, the No. 2 Fire Station was designated a Heritage Property through the City of Moncton Heritage Preservation By-Law #Z-1102.

Source: Moncton Museum, Moncton, New Brunswick - second floor files – “199 St. George St.”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to some of the architecture elements of No. 2 Fire Station include:
- red brick walls with sandstone details;
- large corbelled brick Roman arch entrances;
- rectangular 2 over 2 double hung windows with blind segmented arch transoms;
- corbelled segmented arch voussoir trim;
- corbelled brick cornice;
- plain brick corner pilasters.
- rectangular massing;
- flat roof;
- inscription stone “No 2 Fire Station 1899”.

The character-defining elements relating to some of the interior elements of the original structure include:
- rectangular window and door openings with segmented arch trim between original structure and western addition;
- brick pilasters;
- common bond red brick walls throughout;
- hardwood floors;
- tower area.