My dad built a bin for the coal. He later expanded it, added shelves and turned it into a fruit cellar. Mom canned so it was great.
Our coal furnace was smack dab in the middle of the basement. It was there when we bought the house. There were two coal bins across from it. We only used one. Our furnace looked like a big monster with all the arms extending out from it. We had the old square, heavy metal floor vents. Our cat slept on the living room vent all winter.