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Flipping the script on what makes for a tourist attraction, a light bulb in Livermore draws visitors from around the world to look up at the ceiling of a fire station.
The star of the show is the world’s oldest and longest-burning lamp — the Centennial Light Bulb.
Since 1901, the bulb has burned for over 1.5 million hours with intermittent outs, according to retired deputy fire chief Tom Bramell of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.
Besides in-person visits to its home at LPFD’s Fire Station No. 6, the bulb has grown its following with its own website, livestream camera feed, email address and social media account, not to mention its features in film, TV shows and international news.
The story of the 125-year burning bulb was up for retelling on a Wednesday morning in late June as lamp aficionado Bramell presented its history before a crowd of Alameda County Fire dispatchers-in-training.
“It’s interesting — the amount of people that come from all over, to come view a light bulb,” LPFD battalion chief Anthony Bertuccelli told the Pleasanton Weekly with a laugh after a morning of tours.
The 60-watt mill-type, Shelby Electric Company lamp, was constructed in about 1900 in Shelby, Ohio, Bramell told the group.
It was advertised as being 20% more efficient, with a 30% longer lifespan, than other bulbs for sale at the time, according to Bramell.
As its name suggests, the type of lamp was intended for use in mills and was manufactured for a commensurate durability — contrary to the current trend of planned obsolescence, Bramell noted.
“In that period of time, they were manufacturing equipment to last,” he told the Weekly.
Livermore’s fire department installed the lamp in 1901 at a former station on Second Street between L Street and K Street after its donation by Dennis Bernal, late owner of the Livermore Power and Water Company.
Five years later, the lamp was relocated to a newer fire station at the intersection of First and McLeod streets. It was here that Bramell joined the fire department in the 1970s and began learning about the bulb that he would eventually write a book about, “A Million Hours of Service”.
During the presentation at Fire Station No. 6, Bramell held a photograph before the crowd depicting a fire engine and the Centennial Light Bulb.
“We’d get on this engine and we’d stand on the tail-step,” Bramell said. “On the way out the door, it hung down far enough, you would reach over your head and you’d tap the ball for good luck.”
The fire chief knew about its longevity, but the bulb did not garner much conversation, he explained.
“We were more concerned about fires and emergencies,” Bramell said.
Nevertheless, people appeared at the station to see the bulb and then-rookie Bramell was tasked with talking to visitors.
“So I’ve been talking about this since the early ‘70s,” he told the modern-day visitors in June.
The lamp’s popularity boomed after the publication of a news story in 1972 by reporter Mike Dunstan, according to Bramell.
“When he made the front page, that article went international,” Bramell said. “That was good news for him, bad news for us because everyday we had people coming. They wanted to see this light bulb.”
The lamp was relocated in 1976 to its current home inside Fire Station No. 6 at 4550 East Ave. The transition stirred just one of a few false-alarms of the bulb’s burn out.
In another scare during 2013, which turned out to be a dead battery in the lamp’s uninterruptible power supply, Bramell considered how he’d respond to its absence.
“I’m losing a dear friend because I felt that closeness to the light bulb,” he told the Weekly of his mindset. “Even today, they’ll call me and at the drop of a hat, I’ll be down here to talk about it.”
There’s plenty to discuss with the lamp surpassing its one millionth hour of operation and 125th anniversary, which spurred a community celebration June 6 at the fire station.
Even on non-event days, a lineup of commemorative items surround the lamp.
There is a banner near the bulb displaying a timeline of local and world history dating back to 1901, a row of framed recognitions and a glass case with lamp relics.
“Someone will come by the station every day — at least one or two, if not a tour bus,” Bramell added.
One such group came in part from Hong Kong, visiting the lamp for a surprise birthday party shortly after the soon-to-be dispatchers.
Bramell kicked off another history lesson on the bulb.
Guest of honor Eugene Sun, from Hong Kong, said he was fascinated by the relic.
Party-goer Sanam Thakur shared the sentiment and said she had been wanting to see the lamp for years.
“It’s actually really beautiful, like the way the filament is designed,” Thakur said. “Seeing its history in relation to the rest of U.S. history, or even global history, is quite eye-opening.”
In the coming years, the bulb may be relocated to the station entrance, as the city eyes the structure’s future remodel.
But for now, the inconspicuous lamp continues to draw visitors to the back of Fire Station No. 6.
