Former Fire Hall and Residence Receive Heritage Recognition

Two pieces of Langley history are receiving heritage recognition plaques as part of the Township of Langley’s Community Heritage Register. The plaques were presented on Monday, February 24, 2025 for the Aldergrove Fire Hall No. 3 at 2900 272 Street, and the Rizun Residence at 19678 80 Avenue. The plaques will help identify and raise awareness about the heritage value of these buildings.

“Thank you to Mayor and Council for recognizing the importance of our Township’s heritage buildings,” said Tami Quiring, Community Co-Chair of the Township’s Heritage Advisory Committee and President of the Alder Grove Heritage Society. “These buildings are a bridge to the past and when they are kept for future generations, we recognize that their continued presence serves as a reminder of how important community is and will hopefully encourage citizens new and old to share in those connections."

Aldergrove Fire Hall No. 3 is the oldest surviving fire station in Langley. It officially opened on October 10, 1959. The community-led project of the Aldergrove Volunteer Fire Department was the culmination of many decades of volunteer only fire service efforts. More than 100 people donated their time or cash to its construction, and more continued to volunteer as firefighters after its completion. It was later the longtime home to Milsean, a local confectionary company famous for its Demerara Butter Crunch and the community landmark café it ran at the site. The former fire hall was bought by the Township in 2018. In 2024 the Township donated the building to Langley Meals on Wheels which has been operating the Firehouse Cafe at the site since 2021, and is providing much-needed services to the community.

The Rizun Residence was built for Wacluna Rizun and her three children in 1931, after Wacluna separated from her then husband. Wacluna remarried, and the home was expanded in 1940 to accommodate two more children. When the site was bought by Mitchell Group for redevelopment, they entered into a Heritage Revitalization Agreement with the Township. This voluntary, formal agreement, negotiated between property owner and local government, can supersede zoning regulations with unique conditions to incentivize conservation of heritage sites. Mitchell Group committed to restoration, and continued protection of the building as part of rezoning for its 165-unit development project at the site completed in 2021.

You can find out more about Heritage Revitalization Agreements in the Township at tol.ca/heritageprotection. There are 68 sites on the Township’s Community Heritage Register, including 56 buildings.