A new fire station for Boulder

Boulder Fire Station No. 2 was constructed in 1908 at the insistence of volunteer Fire Chief George Fonda. The station at 1010 Aurora Avenue was also called the Mt. St. Gertrude Fire Station because it stood near the school established for children with tuberculosis. The structure records an important part of George F. Fonda’s civic work in Boulder.

Architecture and preservation

Boulder’s historic building inventory identifies architect I. T. Shockley as the designer and describes the building as an unusually intact early twentieth-century fire station with Foursquare architectural features. The inventory calls the property a local landmark and eligible for the National Register; these are distinct from a verified National Register listing.

From fire station to Pottery Lab

After its firefighting role ended, the former station became home to Boulder’s community pottery program. The City of Boulder says the Pottery Lab moved into the building in 1963; other city historical materials date the ceramics program’s use of the former station to the mid-1950s. The building remains a prominent local place for ceramic arts, now associated with Groundworks Art Lab.

Historical documentation

The Carnegie Library for Local History retains a historic building inventory with photographs and survey material for 1010 Aurora Avenue. The City of Boulder also lists Fire Station No. 2 among the properties in its Historic Places Plan. These specific local sources provide a firmer history than a general National Park Service landing page.

Sources and references