On July 8, 1892, St. John's, Newfoundland was devastated by a fire that destroyed nearly all the homes and businesses in the east end of the city.  The high winds that day, the incomplete repairs to the water supply system and the simple incident of dropping a pipe in Timothy O'Brien's stable at Freshwater Road at the top of Carter's Hill ushered in what would become the worst fire in St. John's history. 

Together these events combined to create the calamity that leveled much of the city turning it into rubble and soot within twenty-four hours.  The fire spread and devoured virtually all of the houses and buildings in its path, as well as much of its major commercial area before being extinguished. 

It is known as the Great Fire of 1892.  There was an estimated $13,000,000 of damage done that day but only $5,000,000 was covered by insurance.  There were over 12,000 people displaced, left to congregate in the local parks outside the fire zone until financial aid arrived from Britain and Canada.

In an attempt to house the displaced Newfoundland families, a construction project was initiated soon after that saw the rapid erection of row housing so that those who were driven into the streets and parks would once again be rehoused before winter.  This construction project formed the core architecture of the post fire period and remains to this day the unique flavour of the downtown core in St. John's.  Many of these original homes still exist but have now received refurbishment to improve heating costs, fire codes, safety features, insurance premiums and aesthetics.

The above photo that captures part of St. John's that was burned out by the fire was recently taken by Mr. Jim Costello who has a great eye for photography and interesting subjects.  Jim posted this one to an album on Facebook called "Southside Road, Signal Hill and Cape Spear" and he calls the photo Architectural Delight-a blend of the old and new.  As you can see, the "old" are those homes built back in the Fall of 1892 that were quickly constructed to house the displaced families of the Great Fire.  The "new" refers to the interesting and modern Architecture of the Newfoundland Museum called the Rooms sitting at the top left of the photo.  The Basilica of St. John the Baptist to the right and peering over all still remains as one of the few landmarks that out lived the fire of 1892.  If you look closely at the black and white photo above you will notice the two towers standing in the distance observing the devastation of the city just after the fire.

I want to thank Mr. Jim Costello for both seeing this and taking such a beautiful photo of downtown St. John's and for allowing me the privilege of sharing it with you all.  This kind of Newfoundland generosity is what many visitors to the province will speak of and it is why folks like me think Newfoundland is one of the best places in the world to live, bar none!

R. Greg Osmond is a Platinum Award winning Realtor serving St. John’s and surrounding areas, Newfoundland and Labrador for over 20 years and can be reached at 709-895-2500. Visit http://www.rgregosmond.com/ for further information.