Monday, January 3, 2011

Broad Street Firehouse

This holiday season my family and I had the pleasure of visiting the Broad Street Firehouse in San Francisco. My grandfather, Charles MacCarthy, served as a firefighter at the firehouse. My Mom found out that the house was being sold and contacted the friendly owners. Marilyn & Robert purchased the firehouse once a new firehouse was built a block away. They have lived happily in the firehouse for over 33 years! You can read more about the history here.

Mom & Jenna in front of Engine #33:
Marilyn & Robert have made a lifestyle with their 1950's Mack firetruck. They offer tours through San Francisco: for information, check out their website.
The firehouse is decorated with all kinds of fire paraphernalia. This is a view on the way to the Captain's quarters. Check out the stained glass hanging in the window-Mom bought it!
Marilyn & Robert dress in themed attire for the San Francisco tour. We were so lucky to catch them right after they returned from their day. The wall behind them is dedicated to artwork of the Golden Gate Bridge.
This is my favorite photo from the night! Jenna found out that Marilyn was a childhood actress and tap dancer. We loved the dance studio she set up in their bedroom on the second floor of the firehouse.
They were preparing for an estate sale and we had so much fun looking through their extensive collections. We had fun looking at all of her photos in her scrap album.
The kitchen was Jenna's favorite part of the firehouse. It had a home like feeling. As expected, it was firefighter themed. Of course, they have a candy drawer for the kids that visit!
Just when I thought the tour of the firehouse was over, Marilyn & Robert took us down to the basement. How cool is the chalkboard on the broiler?
Overall it was a wonderful family outing and the experience made me feel closer to my grandfather. And to top it off, we have two new friends that we'll remember for a life time. If you would like to see more photos, check out my flickr set.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Oh wow that is hella cool!

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