No one alive today remembers the old Buchanan Building at the northeast corner of Butler & Main. Known also as Buchanan Hall, it was here that events over a short period of time were to have a profound effect on the Borough of Ambler. The formation of Ambler's Wissahickon Fire Company came about as the direct outcome of the happenings here on a Sunday afternoon way back in 1890. We have no accurate description of the building's appearance, having to rely on sketchy verbal accounts and a vague drawing of unknown origin. Extensive research has led to the creation of both the illustration and the story concerning an important event in Ambler's early history.

It was a part of David Knipe's original tract of land, acquired from Jonathan Lukens in 1869. Bounded by Butler Avenue, Main Street, Water Street (now called Race) and North Spring Garden, it was here that Knipe soon built his three-story mansard-roofed home Still standing today, the house can be found rather easily in the middle of that block.

Covered by a forest of tall trees, Knipe's property was retained intact as the family residence until 1887 when he sold to the Buchanan brothers the entire western sector fronting on Main Street. They paid $2,250 for this tract of land, which marked the first opening of Knipe's lands to commercial development.

It's assumed that the Buchanans soon after erected their three-story building on the Butler & Main corner. From written accounts, we've learned that the ground floor of this gigantic building housed several offices and stores, with an Opera House located on most of the second floor. It was in this new building that the Union Library, organized earlier at Three Tuns, had been persuaded to relocate their facilities to Ambler. Housed also on the upper floors were a huge ballroom and meeting rooms for at least five local lodges.

Little more is known of Buchanan Hall except that on a Sunday afternoon, February 9, 1890, a disastrous fire destroyed the entire building, taking with it several smaller structures nearby. Reported by neighbor David Knipe who saw smoke coming from cellar windows, the fire was soon being fought by the local bucket brigade. Young Jack Burl and his friends, having run from Sunday School out on North Street, assisted by throwing buckets of water on carpeting nailed to nearby buildings to keep the fire from spreading.

Butler & Main was the most active crossroads in Ambler in 1890. Here were the Sunnyside School, "Doc" Ambler's General Store, Ambler Park Hotel with its sheds and stables, and the abandoned two-story Toll House, all threatened by the spreading fire.

A man on horseback had been dispatched at once to Jenkintown for assistance by their fire companies. Loaded onto a flat railway car, their fire-fighting equipment arrived at Ambler in less than half an hour, too late though to save the Buchanan Building. Consumed besides Buchanan Hall were the sheds and stables of Ambler Park Hotel, and the Toll House.

Ambler citizens, following this devastating fire, finally realized they could no longer exist with just a bucket brigade. A committee met in earnest with a resulting charter received by April 6th, 1891. It was now official: "Wissahickon Fire Company of Ambler has come into existence, and will soon be occupying quarters in their own building on J. Watson Craft's Lumber Yard property on Main Street." Now their greatest concern would be raising funds to finance modern, up-to-date fire-fighting in Ambler.

The Ambler Gazette was reporting, as late as five months after the fire, that "the debris at Butler & Main from the big fire is only now beginning to disappear." The same newspaper had this to say about new construction: "Our old patron, William Sullivan of Norristown, has the contract to furnish the cut stone for Keasbey & Mattison's new building."

This second item suggests the start of construction on Keasbey & Mattison's large building that housed the more familiar Ambler Opera House. Seems logical that with the destruction of Buchanan Hall, which housed an Opera House, stores, offices, meeting rooms and even the library, that Doctor Mattison would entertain thoughts about erecting his own structure having similar facilities. The year 1890 seems to have been the start of construction of the "new" Ambler Opera House, remembered by many living today.