The Story Behind the Name: Fire House Museum

With the Fourth of July fast approaching, it seems a fortuitous time to talk about the history of the Niwot firehouse.

In 1910, concern about fire protection prompted Niwot citizens to acquire a firehose handcart and build a simple frame shed to house it. The firehouse was erected close to the street, on an undeveloped lot between the Niwot State Bank (now Porchfront Homes) and the Livingston Hotel (now Wise Buys Antiques) on Second Avenue. It was a simple 8' x 14' wooden frame structure with double-hinged swinging doors.

The streets at the time were rutted, and thus challenging to navigate with a handcart, making fire protection a reality for only a small number of businesses in close proximity to the firehouse. Perhaps it wasn't much of a surprise that the firehouse was later abandoned.

Eventually, the Livingston Hotel moved it from its streetside location to a position over a hand-dug well near the back of their lot. It is likely that the addition of windows and a pedestrian-style door to the firehouse occurred at this time. The Livingston Hotel was razed in the late 1960s. It had long since ceased to be a hotel/boarding house and had been a private residence for years.

Floyd Edmunds later built his business, the Niwot Auction House, on Second Avenue next to where the The Livingston Hotel previously stood. The firehouse stood about 40 feet back from Second Avenue. Floyd's wife, Carolyn Edmunds, was intrigued by the old building and wanted it preserved, so it was incorporated within the auction house as it was being built.

According to Floyd Edmunds, it had to be moved about 25 feet to its new location. Great care was taken because its front wall had been weakened when the shed doors were removed and a new wall installed. Composition wallboard was removed from the interior because of its musty odor and stained appearance. The old firehouse became Floyd's office and remained in the auction house after Jim and Erma Knoch bought the property for their business, the Niwot Antique Emporium.

When Rlet Properties purchased the building in 1997, owner Cotton Burden offered the structure to the Niwot Historical Society. There were concerns about whether the firehouse could survive another relocation.

With the help of volunteers, the firehouse was separated into six pieces and moved across the street for reassemblage next to the Left Hand Grange. When the Niwot Historical Society applied to the Boulder County Commissioners for landmarking, they required a signed agreement from the Grange assuring that the firehouse could remain on their property indefinitely. On October 26, 1999, a 99-year lease was signed and the commissioners unanimously approved the landmarking.

Because the firehouse was located inside the Niwot Auction House, it was not a part of the original historic district when established in 1993. After moving next to the Grange and becoming landmarked, the old firehouse was the last historic building to get a Niwot Historic District plaque.

The Fire House Museum will be open for tours on the 4th of July from 10-noon. Niwot Historical Society members Robin and Nick Dederer will be hosting, and look forward to sharing this exceptional piece of Niwot history (and all the incredible artifacts inside). For more information on the Fire House Museum and Niwot history please visit: Niwothistoricalsociety.org.

Resources:

Special thanks to the Niwot Historical Society and Anne Q. Dyni's article previously published in the Left Hand Valley Courier.

Photos/flyers courtesy of Niwot Historical Society