VIDEO: On Friday, visitors stopped by to get a glimpse of the new North Fire Station at 35 Princeton St.
With its state-of-the-art features, including a new apparatus bay, bunk rooms, kitchen and facilities for washing clothes and equipment, the new structure bears almost no resemblance to the one that housed the station since 1956.
A lot has changed since then -- including standards for safety, accessibility, and accommodating a workforce that is no longer exclusively male.
"It's gorgeous," said Claire Lynch, who stopped by with her son, Michael, on Dec. 3 -- one of two open houses for the new station.
They enjoyed a tour by Fire Chief Gary Ryan.
For the Lynches, the tour had special meaning. Claire's husband, the late Joseph Lynch, served as a firefighter for more than 20 years, including in the old North Station building.