Ottawa Heritage Buildings - Fire Hall No 10 Graham Station

Ottawa now has approximately 350 properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act ranging from simple Lowertown cottages to rural churches and stone farmhouses.

The Ottawa Heritage register includes a property at 260 Sunnyside Ave now known as the Ottawa South Community Centre but previously known as fire hall No. 10 Graham Station (1921-1974)

My art journal sketches of  Fire Chief Graham
& No. 10 Graham Station

The History of

No. 10 Graham Station

Fire Chief Graham won the support of the City to have Station No 10 built, by one  of the Ottawa's top architects W.E. Noffke (1878-1964), to serve the needs of Ottawa South which  grew rapidly following WWI

Chief Graham died on May 27, 1921 and did not live to see the station completed,  which was subsequently named after him and opened in September 1921.

No. 10 Graham Station served the City as a fire station till 1974. When the Station was decommissioned in 1974, its preservation was one  of the first issues addressed by the newly formed organization: Heritage Ottawa.

It is the only heritage Fire Station in Ottawa that is still publicly owned and accessible.

(Source: Bytowne.net)

Picture Source: ROFFA Photo Album No 1

Source: Heritage Ottawa Bulletin 1974
(Bulletin No. 2 Nov 74)

Google image of Fire Station No 10

Links

• History of the Ottawa Fire Department (150 Years of Firefighting)
• Retired Ottawa Firefighters Association (ROFFA)
• The Margins of History - Fire Sation No.6
• Ottawa South Designated Heritage Properties
• Ottawa South History Project
• History of the Old Firehall. ( David Bouse - 1999 essay)
• Application to Alter Sunnyside Community Centre (2008)
• The Ottawa City Directory 1910 (Internet Archive)

About Chief Graham 

Fire Chief Graham

Fire Chief Graham (in rear of car)

"Chief Graham was the son of Irish immigrants. He came from a family of fire fighters that included his father and 3 uncles. His Father Francis Graham was a member of Ottawa's first professional Fire Department. He was also the first Ottawa fire fighter to die in the line of duty in 1877 at age 37."

"Chief Graham was the founding President of the Dominion Fire Fireman’s Association of Canada. He advised Parliament that it had to take fire prevention more seriously. That advised was not heeded and in on Februay 3, 1916, the Parliament Buildings burned down.

Parliament fire - Feb 1916

Ottawa Fire Fighters Became Unionized 

Under Chief Graham's watch, Ottawa Fire Fighters became unionized and he convinced the City to install phones in firefighters' homes to improve emergency response times."

(Source: Bytowne.net)