Finding Glass
Founders of Firehouse Glass, Greg Lueck and Rebecca Seymour, are a dynamic husband and wife team who have resided in the Vancouver, Washington area for several decades participating in the local arts scene and, over time, leading efforts to revitalize Vancouver’s Downtown, creating what is now the Art’s District. Part of these efforts where through Firehouse’s presence in downtown which all started with a present.
Flash back to 1994 when Greg and Rebecca had just established in the PNW. Greg was busy working as a consultant traveling all the time, Rebecca worked as a full time IT Director and was pursuing a Fine Arts degree at PNCA, and together they were raising two kids. Life was busy but Rebecca decided Greg needed a hobby (and no, more work did not count)! This (along with the PNCA Course Catalogue) inspired Rebecca to give Greg a present that would change their lives - glassblowing lessons! Greg and Rebecca had both been experimenting with different art mediums for years prior but glassblowing was special. As it turns out, this medium really appeals to Greg’s artistic sensibilities AND engineering background. From that first class, Greg was hooked!
Creating The Studio
As Greg grew in his new glassblowing hobby, he became increasingly more aware that there were very few (if any) local, public studios that were fit for a professional glass worker. All of the well maintained local studios were private. At the same time, Rebecca was an art student looking for affordable, decently lit, studio space to pursue her painting career. So, Greg and Rebecca took on the task! They would find a space that would allow them to grow in their artistic passions and serve the mission of making glassblowing and fine art accessible to the public.
When Greg and Rebecca were searching for the perfect space to be Firehouse’s home, there were a few prospect buildings. The original front runner was rumored to have been an old, retired, fire house (as it turns out local firemen just lived upstairs). Still, this felt like a cosmic moment (we glassblowers work with fire too and it just so happens Greg’s father was a Fireman) which birthed the original name Firehouse No. 12. This was later rebranded to Firehouse Glass as we are known today. As things turn out, Firehouse ended up in a historic bank building instead but we kept the inspiration for the brand!
A few fun facts about our building: The National Bank Building has been a prominent part of Vancouver’s Downtown since 1908. The building maintains several original features including two vaults (one with a hand painted door) that we found some trinkets in when we took the building over. We also found a surprise marble floor after pulling up some flooring. Conveniently marble is fire proof and our hot shop’s furnace, glory holes, and other major equipment sit on it to this day! To help us make the most of the building and its history, we enlisted a team of experts to design our gallery space (Jayne Sanders) and help us engineer the hot shop (Spiral Arts) and facilities to be state of the art.
Evolving Firehouse
Firehouse Glass recently celebrated its 20 year anniversary! Over the years, Firehouse Glass has flexed and grown with the local economy, remaining a unique staple as part of Vancouver’s charming downtown and First Friday / The Art’s Walk where we have offered live demos for years (we are sad to have paused these due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). We attract a variety of glass artists, glass appreciators, and students making Firehouse a great place to visit. Our Gallery and Hot Shop have become a place to create memories over the years for local visitors by participating in classes / lessons, our Design Your Own Ornament Event, and just coming by to watch the glassblowers at work.
In its inception years, Greg developed a world class glassblowing curriculum that teaches the fundamentals through the more complex forms and techniques. It has since been utilized by several other institutions and is still the core of our private lessons and classes. The class series and gallery have attracted and featured glass masters from around the world to support the next generation of glassblowers in building skill and challenging the limits of the medium.
Rebecca eventually moved her studio to NorthBank Artists Community up the street when she and Greg took on a new challenge in 2003 - creating an artist’s co-op non-profit, where she painted and showcased her work for nearly 10 years before she moved to her private studio where she still paints today. Check out her website for more on Rebecca’s work.
Greg and Rebecca have been a critical part of evolving the art scene and Downtown Vancouver through their endeavors, which have engaged local artists of all kinds in the area. They balanced corporate consulting jobs and raising a family. Since its creation, Firehouse has been a big part of family holiday traditions over the years from art openings to new millennium parties. It also inspired both of their kids creatively. Andrew Lueck can be found around Firehouse blowing glass, managing the facility, and taking on other artistic / building endeavors around town. Jessica Lueck is typically spotted during the holidays blowing glass with Greg or helping in the gallery.
Today, Firehouse’s Gallery is always stocked with fresh works from Greg, Andrew, and other Firehouse / local artists. During the day, there are typically glassblowers working that can be watched through our giant windows or inside (during non-pandemic times). We are known for opening our doors anytime we are “hot",” blowing glass, so that anyone can engage with us in our glass creations!