Heritage spark for Albany Fire Station

• Albany celebrates 55th entry on State Register of Heritage Places

• Albany Fire Station and Fire Officer's House pays tribute to State's firefighters

Albany is celebrating its 55th site listed in the State Register of Heritage Places with the inclusion of the Albany Fire Station and Fire Officer's House.

Heritage Minister Albert Jacob said Albany, the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, had a wealth of State heritage-listed places ranging from some of WA's earliest settler homes to the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial built in 1964.

Mr Jacob said the 1938 Albany Fire Station was one of the most distinctive fire stations built in the State during the 1930s.

"Following the Depression, the WA Fire Brigades' Board underwent an intensive construction phase, building 18 stations in the four short years from 1934 to 1938," he said.

The fire stations were designed by architect K C Duncan, himself a volunteer firefighter, in the Inter-War Functionalist-style which is characterised by rounded corners, parallel line motifs and asymmetric rendered brick walls.

"The Albany Fire Station stands out as an unusual example of a service building of its style, with ornamental features continuing throughout the interior of the building and an officer's quarters located onsite," the Minister said.

"As one of the larger and architecturally distinctive fire stations built in regional WA during this period, it reflected the sense of optimism and anticipated population growth in Albany at the time.

"The fire station also speaks to the history of the Albany Fire Brigade which grew from one permanent fire officer and 21 volunteers in the 1940s, to 20 permanent firefighters manning the station 24 hours a day on rotation by 2006."

The Albany Fire Station continues to be used today as a fire station. However, the State Government recently allocated funds to build a larger, modern fire station in Albany.

The significance of the Albany Fire Station and Fire Officer's House was identified through the Government heritage property disposal process which assesses the heritage values of Government-owned places being considered for sale, lease or demolition.

       Fact File

• For more information and photographs of the Albany Fire Station and Fire Officer's House, visit http://www.stateheritage.wa.gov.au or phone 6552 4081.

Minister's office - 6552 5800