Since 1980, retired and active firefighters from Station 6 on Purchase Street have gathered every few years to take group pictures along the staircase inside the fire house.
Hairstyles and fashions have changed between the framed photos, but the formation of firefighters along the stairs has remained constant.
Though the firefighters plan to continue the tradition, they posed along the Station 6 stairs for the last time. Next month, the station will close and the new South End Public Safety Center will open. "It's sad," said firefighter Anthony Poente, who has worked at the station for 24 years. It's a place where many firefighters have lived and it's where he was when his sons were born.
Poente said while most retirees still live in the area, at least two made the trip from Florida for not just the photo, but also the "last hurrah" before the station closes.