The Historic Belmont Firehouse Celebrates its 100th Anniversary!

The sun was shining brightly on one of Portland's historic treasures as it celebrated its 100th Anniversary today.  It was held in conjunction with the Belmont Street Fair in SE Portland.  The streets were filled with Portlanders walking the closed street, shopping and enjoying the delicious culinary offerings by some of the city's best chefs. 

The Belmont Street Fair is an annual event held in late summer.  A full day of fun from noon to 7 p.m. for the whole family with live music, art, entertainment, shopping and good food & drink!  The Street Fair is supported by businesses on Belmont, Morrison and Stark Streets and a collaboration of the Belmont Area Business Association (BABA) and the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association.

The firehouse is located at Southeast 35th and Belmont and is open to the public on certain days or by appointment for a private tour. The hours of the firehouse are:

• Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (for tours by appointment)
• Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (open to the public)
• Second Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (open to the public for Safety Saturday)

 You get to slide down a fire pole and sit in the cab of a fire truck for a simulated emergency response, among lots of other activities.

It's a lot of fun... and very educational too.  For the 100th Anniversary, Portland Fire & Rescue added a balloon artist and a bouncy house in addition to all of the fun features of the firehouse. Children could also spray water from a real fire hose (with the assistance of a Portland Fire Employee). 

The streets were filled with thousands of visitors as everybody seemed to be enjoying the perfect weather and exciting sights of the Belmont Street Fair. 

Many of the visitors expressed what a privilege it has been to have the station in this neighborhood all of these years.  Although it no longer serves the community as an active fire station, it continues to add to its legacy of community service by educating both youth and adults alike about the proud history of the fire service and safety.