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www.google.com.au/maps/@-33.8811511,151.206332,3a,75y,198...

MDCCCLXXXVIII = 1888 (on top) - I think that's the longest possible Roman numeral date - or not?

The building looks very new here - not much sign of pigeon droppings and weathering. Certainly before the identical style extension in 1907.

History of the building here - www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=177 , including

"The design, by the Colonial Architect’s Department, was considered innovative for its time, and included features drawn from the experiences of the London Metropolitan Fire Brigade. As a result station remains a rare example of Victorian free classical architecture. The original building was erected with a large courtyard to the rear, creating two multi-storey wings, each of which was fitted with external metal balconies.

A small stables building was located in the rear courtyard, behind the three main engine bays which had direct access to the street. The harness and the sway bars for the horses were suspended over each horse by means of weights running into tubes, which tripped themselves when the collar was snapped to, and the horses went into the engine bay.

From dusk till dawn, junior firefighters spent three hours on a twenty metre high tower (called the pigeon box) undertaking fire spotting duty. [see top right of this photo]

A watchroom was located on the northern side of the ground floor and telephone exchange board, fire alarms and electrical apparatus were operated from there. The electrical contact in the room, when pulled, rang the bells throughout the entire building, turned up the gas lamps in the engine bay, released the stable doors (which immediately flew open by means of springs), and released a weight situated in the single men’s quarters on the first floor which opened two flaps to enable firefighters to slide down a pole. The original switchboard has been restored and is on display in a replica of the watchroom at the Museum of Fire, Penrith. ... "

When trams were introduced to Castlereagh Street in 1906-ish, they rattled the switchboard and triggered the alarm contacts on the board. The Watch Room was later moved to the rear of the ground floor.
This picture has been referred to as the Opening Ceremony however there are no officials and no senior officers, identified by a single row of front tunic buttons rather than double-breasted tunics. It is more likely when men and equipment first moved in.
There is a young girl seated in the window above the fire engine on the right. This was the Superintendent's bedroom and the flower pots on the window to her right mark the windows of the Superintendent's living room.

Ooops! I got the date wrong - it's only "MDCCCLXXXVII." See
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02]'s excellent recent photo -
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02/20569371223/]

beachcomber australia No!!! They got the date wrong. It wasn't opened or operational until March 1888. There were delays with electrics and fittings.

Jozef-Ernest van Roey (13 January 1874 – 6 August 1961) was a Belgian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1926 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1927. He was significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism in Belgium. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jozef-Ernest_van_Roey

Date on photo, 12/16/26, correlates with his elevation to cardinal on 12/20/26: query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9500E3D7163DEE3AB...

Richard Norton: Thank you for the information on Cardinal van Roey. We will add more when we update. Art Siegel: Thanks for catching the date on the photo.