Historic Sites of Manitoba: Central Fire Hall (637 Princess Avenue, Brandon)

The 2½-storey Central Fire Station, designed by architect William Alexander Elliott and constructed in 1911 by contractor Alfred Edward Bullock, is one of Brandon’s finest buildings. A previous fire hall stood here between 1882 and 1893. A 4,400-pound bell in the tower was removed in 1971 to reduce the stress on the structure. A plaque describing the history of the building was erected here by the Brandon Municipal Heritage Committee and it became a municipally-designated heritage site in 2000. The building has been renovated into a restaurant.

On 27 June 1920, the Brandon Fire Department unveiled a memorial tablet to six members of the fire department who died during the First World War. The tablet was unveiled by Brandon’s Mayor George Dinsdale. It was originally located in a recess on the outside of the building. The tablet is now located at the Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Museum.

Central Fire Hall (circa 1912) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2015-0004 Central Fire Hall (no date) Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Acc. 1979-141, P7456, Album 4, Page 32. Central Fire Hall (2011) Source: Peter McLure The former Central Fire Hall (May 2018) Source: George Penner The former Central Fire Hall (August 2023) Source: Eva Janssen The former Central Fire Hall (August 2023) Source: Eva Janssen Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.84703, W99.94693 denoted by symbol on the map above

First World War Casualties

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Thomas Calder [Armoury]	Fireman	45th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	30 May 1885	24 February 1916
William Dingwall [Armoury, Orange Lodge]	Fireman	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Lance Corporal	9 April 1890	7 April 1917
Thomas Dunnett [Armoury]	Fireman	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	14 February 1887	5 June 1916
William Esslemont [Armoury]	Fireman	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Company Sergeant Major	20 March 1894	9 April 1917
Donald McDonald [Armoury]	Fireman	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	22 March 1888	28 September 1916
Wilfred Lloyd Wisner [Armoury, Lenore, Oak Lake]	Fireman	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	16 December 1894	15 September 1916

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: William Alexander Elliott (1866-1957)

Memorable Manitobans: Alfred Edward Bullock (1871-1957)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Museum (120 Nineteenth Street North, Brandon)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Fire Hall No. 2 / McTavish School / Brandon Technical School (603 Eleventh Street, Brandon)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites

Sources:

“Bullock is awarded fire hall contract,” Brandon Daily Sun, 13 April 1911, page 6.

“Unveil memorial to fireman who gave their lives,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 24 June 1920, page 1.

“Unveil tablet to firemen who gave their lives,” Brandon Daily Sun, 28 June 1920, page 1.

Central Fire Station, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch.

We thank Peter McLure, Darryl Toews, George Penner, and Eva Janssen for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 September 2023

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