Throwback Thursday | Historic Washington Fire House’s cupola and weather vane

The cupola and weather vane that once sat atop the historic Washington Fire Company firehouse is part of the estate of Ray Weinmann, one of the original developers of Conshohocken. Weinmann passed away in February of 2021.

His son Mark Weinmann is currently cataloging the estate and shared with MoreThanTheCurve.com photos of the cupola and weather vane.

The Conshohocken Historical Society successfully nominated the building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In the application, the cupola is mentioned as a feature added to the building in 1908.

A 3 1/2-story bell tower was also added to the firehouse at this time. The belfry is Italianate in style, with its four sides each in the shape of a Palladian window. It is topped by an octagonal cupola with the original weathervane.

The cupola was struck by lightning during the early 1990s according to Weinmann. You can see where it was struck in the above photo.

Weinmann is considering restoring the cupola and weather vane. In addition to these pieces, there are several others from the firehouse, including a firefighter’s hat and a captain’s jacket.

The firehouse building is currently being redeveloped into a restaurant. You can find details and renderings here.

Top Left Photo: Courtesy of the Special Collections Research Center. Temple University Libraries. Philadelphia, PA. You can view the collection here.

All other photos courtesy of Mark Weinmann