The No. 8 Hose Station is a small

fire hall __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ho ...

that is a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

landmark. It is located on

College Street College Street may refer to: *College Street (Kolkata) *College Street (Toronto) * College Street (Sydney) *College Street (York) College Green is an open space in the city centre of York, England. History The green lies within the historic pr ...

at Bellevue and marks the northern end of

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

and serves the Chinatown area at Spadina and Dundas.

History

The hall was built in 1878 as part of the transformation of the Toronto Fire Department that saw it move from a volunteer to a professional organization. The station was home to horse drawn hose car. The clock tower, that quickly became a symbol of the neighbourhood, was added in 1899. From the top of the tower a lookout would watch for fires. It was also useful for hanging hoses to dry. In 1911 it received the city's first motorized fire engine.

Demolition pressure and fire

In the 1960s most of the old fire houses were demolished, but community pressure saved No. 8. However, in 1972 the building was gutted by fire. Again the community assured its survival and the building was rebuilt almost exactly as it had been before. The addition that stored the aerial ladder was replaced with the modern 3 bay addition that now houses the station's trucks. The original fire hall building is now used as a gym for Toronto Fire station 315. The fire that gutted the hall in 1972 started when the crew was out fighting another fire.

History

Demolition pressure and fire

See also