Originally published on Yahoo! News in 2011 by Maryam Louise.When you look at the outside of this 1896 firehouse, you may not be aware of the secrets inside.
On the outside, San Francisco's Firehouse No. 33 looks like well-preserved historic real estate. Now closed to the public, are there any mysteries at this former museum and firehouse that tourists are unaware of? Halloween is coming up, and various parts of San Francisco are revealing their historic points of intrigue. Despite the fact that previous owners have verified there are no ghosts at Firehouse No. 33, there are a few secrets the general public might not know.
Where are the bells?
When you stand on the sidewalk outside of Firehouse 33, you will notice a tower on top of the roof. Resembling a church belfry, the upper left side of the building looks like it should contain ringing parts. After all, in historic movies, when a firetruck zoomed out of the station, bells were blasting. Despite this, the inside of this tower never had bells.
Instead, according to Luba Muzichenko of Zephyr Real Estate , this tower is for hanging fire hoses after they were used in fighting fires. Having the extra room to air-dry the hoses was necessary to keep the metal parts from rusting. It also prevented mildew from corroding the canvas hoses. A job the station's captain refused, firefighters would drag the hoses to the top of the tower after every use.
Need to polish the top of your house?
Some of the surprising features of this firehouse are the mysteries hiding behind closed doors. When you open one of the doors on the first floor, you do not find a closet. Instead, you are looking all the way up to the roof. Standing in this tiny sky-lit room, the only thing you will find is one of the longest handmade ladders you will ever see.
In the past, firefighters would carefully climb up the three-story ladder to hang the hoses from the rafters. At the top of the tower, the strange-looking hose hooks have been preserved. Outside, you can still occasionally hear the wind rattling the hooks, making a spooky sound you cannot immediately identify.
Historic SFFD graffiti
On past tours of Firehouse 33, you were led past enclosed bunkers with uniforms hanging up on the outside. Firefighters have historically spent a lot of time living and sleeping at their place of work. However, away from the watchful eye of the captain, the building still maintains a lot of the graffiti that was left behind.
Scrawled throughout the hose tower are handwritten names of past SFFD heroes. Far from museum pieces and collector's items, there is a real connection to the living and breathing firefighters from the early 20th century that risked their lives.
Resources:
http://sf.curbed.com/tags/firehouse-33
http://guardiansofthecity.org/sffd/firehouses/vintage/engine_co_no33.html
http://www.outsidelands.org/historyminute/1273184411/EngineCompany33
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