There's more than a touch of relevance here. You'll notice that at the top of one of the front corners there is a kind of miniature tower that had to have been inspired by the belfry of the original portion of the Federated Church, just a few hundred feet away. As is well known, that portion of the church, which includes the chapel, Douglass Hall and the Fireside Room, was designed by famed California architect Julia Morgan. What is considered her most memorable work is the William Randolph Hearst castle complex at San Simeon.

The Saratoga­Julia Morgan link is an interesting story in itself. Back in the 1890s, Ms. Morgan was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at UC-Berkeley, where one of her "sisters" was Grace Fisher, member of a well-known missionary family. Ms. Fisher later married James Tracy Richards of Saratoga and became extremely active in civic affairs here. When the Saratoga Foothill Club decided to build a clubhouse, Mrs. Richards got her former sorority sister to create the design.

The same thing happened a few years later when the Federated Church, an amalgamation of the Congregational and Disciples of Christ, or Christian, churches, came into being. Julia Morgan did a memorable job on both structures. She also designed several houses in Saratoga.

But, back to the fire station and my likening of it to the Hearst Castle. This has nothing to do with my opinion of the late newspaper tycoon. While I definitely could be described as a Hearst non-fan, I'll have to say that the man did occupy some rather decent digs. Maybe it's my imagination, but the building here seems to have more than a trace of elegance about it. How many firehouses do you see these days with ornamental tile on the exterior? And how about that fancy paving in front? Classy.

One thing I do regret about that building, though, is the closing of the driveway—it was called George Whalen Way—and parking spaces alongside the post office. That was a real convenience and we miss it.

I can't comment on the modernity of the present without getting into the past and what just a few years of progress has brought. OK, maybe it isn't just a few years; maybe it's more like three-quarters of a century. I refuse to acknowledge that the fact of my remembering these details necessarily makes them old. So we're talking about the 1920s; what's so ancient about that?

I remember those first fire engines the district had, a 1924 Model T Ford and a 1928 Model A Ford. They were kept in the Saratoga Garage where the present fire station is. It was an all-volunteer department and the firemen were summoned by a siren mounted in a little shelter on the roof. Back then the siren was also sounded as a noon whistle; just one blast. More than one blast meant there was a fire.

The first volunteers to report to the garage went out with the two engines. Someone had to write the location of the fire on a blackboard, which was placed in a window. That way the volunteers who showed up in their cars knew where to go. Sometimes there was a pillar of smoke to guide them.

Modernization of a sort came with the years. In 1937, the Model T truck was sold for $50 to an orchardist, who used it for hauling boxes of fruit. That's when the district acquired a Diamond T truck, which seemed like the last word in firefighting equipment.

Fortunately, the fire district has maintained a sense of history. The 1928 Model A truck has been preserved. The fire bell, which summoned volunteers from its dominant perch on a 60-foot tower on Fourth Street in pre-siren days, has been preserved in front of Firemen's Hall on Oak Street. The new Headquarters Station is a proud successor to a rich history.