Description of Historic Place

The Abbey Fire Hall is a Municipal Heritage Property situated on a corner lot at Wayne Street and Cathedral Avenue in the Village of Abbey. The property features a one-storey, wood-frame fire hall built ca. 1919, with hip roof and corner bell tower.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Abbey Fire Hall lies in its association with the development of protective services in the Village of Abbey. Typical of Saskatchewan’s early settlements, Abbey’s first buildings were mostly wood constructions that were vulnerable to fire, especially prior to the establishment of local firefighting facilities. Incorporated in 1913, the village did suffer a number of fires in its early years. In September 1918, a large fire that consumed several businesses had threatened to destroy the entire village. In the aftermath, upgrades were made to the village’s firefighting capability, including construction of its first fire hall. Like many municipal buildings of its time, the fire hall was a multi-purpose facility, also serving as the community’s jail.

This small structure housed Abbey’s firefighting equipment until a new fire station was constructed in 1975. Although currently vacant, the old fire hall is valued as an historic community landmark, while a siren atop its tower still signals village emergencies.

There is further heritage value in the building’s architecture, which is representative of small, vernacular fire stations built in Saskatchewan’s small communities during the early-twentieth century. Purpose-built, the fire hall is distinguished by large double doors to a shed that housed the fire wagon (later, a fire truck), and a corner bell tower that also provided space to hang and dry fire hoses. The building’s floor plan is completed by a front office and a rear room that was used as a jail cell.

Source:

Village of Abbey Bylaw 01-23.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Abbey Fire Hall resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that identify the building as an early-twentieth century small-town fire hall, including its simple massing and form with hip roof, corner tower and wood-frame construction; the vehicle shed and office space; the shed’s double wood doors and the separate office doorway; the concrete cistern beneath the floor of the vehicle shed; the window openings and double-hung windows in wooden casings; and shake shingles, clapboard siding and exterior mouldings;
-elements that reflect the building’s role as the village jail, including the rear room that served as a holding cell; the barred window in the exterior wall; the interior cell door with barred window and hand-wrought hardware; and the wooden bunk;
-elements related to the fire hall’s landmark status, including its original siting on a prominent corner lot.