Fire Stations 2, 17, and 41
Fire Stations 2, 17, and 41
Best Rehabilitation Project Award
Fire Station 2 after rehabilitation / Photo: Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami Architects
Fire Station 2
Address: 2320 4 th Avenue
Supporting Partners: City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services; Seattle Fire Department; Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami LLP; TCA Architecture Planning; Gary Struthers Associates, Inc; KPFF Consulting Engineers; CDi Engineers; Elcon Associates, Inc; Bayley Construction
Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami, in collaboration with TCA Architecture Planning, designed the renovation and seismic upgrade of Fire Station No. 2 in Downtown Seattle, the city's busiest fire station. Construction was completed in 2010. The project preserved the oldest continually operating fire station in the city, built in 1922, as an important historic Landmark while expanding its operational capability and updating it to meet the new master facilities program of the Fire Department. The renovation provided modern facilities for living and fitness, as well as upgraded apparatus bays and support facilities. An Occupational Health Clinic was constructed for use by the entire Fire Department. The project included a complete replacement of all mechanical, fire protection, and electrical systems while seismically upgrading the facility without impacting the historic facade. The design was based on cost effective sustainable design features including an innovative HVAC System using the Variable-Refrigerant-Flow principal.
Fire Station 17 after rehabilitation / Photo: Michael Cole Photography
Fire Station 17
Address: 1050 NE 50th Street
Supporting Partners: City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services; Seattle Fire Department; Bassetti Architects; Rice Fergus Miller; Coughlin Porter Lundeen; Sider & Byers Associates; Travis Fitzmaurice & Associates; Fredericks Landscape Architecture; BRC Acoustics & Technology Consulting; The Robinson Company; Tetra Tech Infrastructure Group; PanGeo; Graham Contracting Ltd
Built in 1930, Fire Station 17’s original form and details remain largely intact. The historic Landmark is significant for its Moderne/Art Deco style. Although the concrete station was renovated in 1987, outdated building systems and functional spaces no longer met the needs of a modern fire department and its apparatus. Improvements during the 2010 renovation included an addition and alterations to the station, which addressed the seismic safety, operational efficiency and other programmatic objectives. The addition complements the Landmark building with its approach to architectural massing, color and materials. The new apparatus bay was designed to stand out as a lighter colored mass with red doors and a simple planar canopy that echoes the original bay. Additional crew quarters were clad in dark metal siding to visually recede from the original structure and the new apparatus bay stitched together the cubic massing of the historic structure with the new wings.
Fire Station 41 after rehabilitation / Hoshide Williams Architects
Fire Station 41
Address: 2416 34 th Avenue West
Supporting Partners: Structural: City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services; Seattle Fire Department; Hoshide Williams Architects; Perbix Bykonen; Sider + Byers Associates, Inc; Travis Fitzmaurice & Associates; Springline Design LLC; Nakano Associates Landscape Architects; Kirtley Cole Associates LLC
Built in 1934, Fire Station 41 in Magnolia is a unique Streamline Moderne style structure funded by the Civil Works Administration, a Depression-era federal relief program. The goals of the project were to provide adequate space for the changing spatial needs of fire fighting apparatus and operational areas, improve administrative areas, and enhance staff accommodations. Work included seismic upgrades, replacement and reconfiguration of an addition to house bunk rooms, bathrooms and physical training, new apparatus doors combined with adaptive reuse of the existing historic doors, new HVAC and electrical systems, new roofing, a new generator, and related items.
The project teams for Fire Stations 2, 17 and 41 received a 2011 Best Rehabilitation Projects award for their outstanding achievements in historic preservation. In 2004, Seattle voters approved the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy, creating opportunities for major improvements to the entire department including much-needed upgrades to historic fire stations. The renovation of these three historic fire stations (all designated Seattle Landmarks) demonstrates commitment to preserving utility.
