New & Renovated Boston Fire Stations

[WormtownNative]

Boston Fire is building 2 new stations, rehabbing 2, as well as seeking Public/Private partnerships for 6 more.

On the list:

Engine 17/Ladder 7/District 7, 7 Parish Street, Dorchester: NEW STATION

Engine 33/Ladder 15, 941 Boylston Street, Back Bay: RENOVATION

Engine 42/Rescue 2, 1870 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury: NEW STATION

Engine 50, 34 Winthrop Street, Charlestown: RENOVATION

According to reliable sources in the BFD, these projects are scheduled to start within the next month or so. Globe Article

Additionally, Boston Fire is exploring the possibilities of public/private partnerships for the following firehouses:

Engine 3, 618 Harrison Avenue, South End
Engine 4/Ladder 24/District 3, 200 Cambridge St., West End
Engine 7/Ladder 17/District 4, 200 Columbus Ave., Back Bay
Engine 8/Ladder 1, 392 Hanover Street, North End
Engine 22/HazMat 1, 700 Tremont St., South End
Engine 37/Ladder 26, 560 Huntington Ave, Roxbury

These would be likely be similar to Engine 10's Firehouse on Purchase Street or the Marine Unit on Battery Wharf, where a new station would be part of a larger development.

(Edited for grammar)

 

[nm88]

This is now my favorite thread!!

 

[curcuas]

A PPP for the 200 Columbus Ave Fire Station is very appealing...one can imagine putting a new fire station at the base of a large new development. 700 Tremont is somewhat similar.

 

[Reznor]

700 Tremont isn't that large of a parcel AND is an area with mostly brick row-houses/brownstones. I would assume the redevelopment (if any) at 700 Tremont would be contextual. 4-5 story building.

To your point, there is tremendous potential because that particular fire station is ugly as hell.

 

[Roxxma]

700 Tremont isn't that large of a parcel AND is an area with mostly brick row-houses/brownstones. I would assume the redevelopment (if any) at 700 Tremont would be contextual. 4-5 story building.

To your point, there is tremendous potential because that particular fire station is ugly as hell.

I'd hate to see that. Even though it stands out from its neighbors, the 700 Tremont St fire station is a pretty decent piece of midcentury architecture. It appears to be in good shape and still quite functional.

 

[sm89]

700 Tremont
200 Cambridge
200 Columbus

They all need to go. While the designs might be "cool" and "period", all three are just voids in the street wall. What bothers me the most about 700 Tremont is the white chimney that hugs the neighboring brick building. For all three of these stations, it's like they thought "how do we plop a suburban fire station with loads of parking in a dense area"? The exposed party walls at all three definitely need to be addressed.

 

[WormtownNative]

For context of the stations being looked at for private/public partnerships

618 Harrison Ave:

200 Cambridge Street:

200 Columbus Ave:

392 Hanover Street:

700 Tremont Street:

560 Huntington Ave:

 

[cjbski]

700 Tremont is cool but it's a waste of space and a dead spot. They could incorporate the old design I think, while putting something above it.

 

[CBCArch61]

For context of the stations being looked at for private/public partnerships

560 Huntington Ave:

I was at Wentworth when they started the Master Planning process, and this was actually part of the discussion. Whether WIT would acquire the land a integrate the fire department into it or do a landswap, we had no idea, but as students it was a great and fun exercise to be able to participate in the idea of developing this parcel for the school.

As a side note as someone who lived on the first floor of the adjacent dorm building looking at the fire station, it would be nice for students not to have to listen to the department test their tools every weekend haha

 

[Suffolk 83]

Who the hell would want to live above a fire station?

 

[atlantaden]

Who the hell would want to live above a fire station?

Firemen

 

[WormtownNative]

I was at Wentworth when they started the Master Planning process, and this was actually part of the discussion. Whether WIT would acquire the land a integrate the fire department into it or do a landswap, we had no idea, but as students it was a great and fun exercise to be able to participate in the idea of developing this parcel for the school.

As a side note as someone who lived on the first floor of the adjacent dorm building looking at the fire station, it would be nice for students not to have to listen to the department test their tools every weekend haha

Funny story - that dorm is now leased to MCPHS, and my brother was living there just a few years ago while attending MCP, and now can sleep through anything thanks to the sirens and the green line. lol

 

[JeffDowntown]

Who the hell would want to live above a fire station?

The same people who make the tradeoff to live next door or across the street from a fire station. Plenty of people if the price is adjusted appropriately.

 

[Brad Plaid]

700 Tremont is a gem, a little bit of Los Angeles cool here in the Bean. If some of these seem a bit suburban (any new stations should be integrated better with the context) not to be forgotten is how much of a down and out Bowery the South End was at the time they were built.

 

[Beton Brut]

700 Tremont is a gem, a little bit of Los Angeles cool here in the Bean.

Quite so:

 

[curcuas]

700 Tremont is a gem, a little bit of Los Angeles cool here in the Bean. If some of these seem a bit suburban (any new stations should be integrated better with the context) not to be forgotten is how much of a down and out Bowery the South End was at the time they were built.

However true this is, it kills the block - a rather long one, where the other side lacks retail.

The greater south end having 3 firehouses (counting the Columbus one) to PPP is interesting

 

[quinninin]

The oak square fire station (renovated in 2013) is still my favorite of all of them.

 

[sm89]

I was at Wentworth when they started the Master Planning process, and this was actually part of the discussion. Whether WIT would acquire the land a integrate the fire department into it or do a landswap, we had no idea, but as students it was a great and fun exercise to be able to participate in the idea of developing this parcel for the school.

As a side note as someone who lived on the first floor of the adjacent dorm building looking at the fire station, it would be nice for students not to have to listen to the department test their tools every weekend haha

I'm told this is the busiest fire station in Boston.

 

[stellarfun]

This is a newly opened fire station in DC. Four bays, one or two of which are for ambulances.

Squash club (courts) on the floor above. Affordable housing above the squash courts. Parking garage under.

Built on the site of a one story station, that was at least 60 years old. Housing was an offset for the development of a larger nearby parcel which had a public library and a police district headquarters. New library and condos on the larger parcel, condos all market rate.

^^^ The condo project.

 

[stefal]

^was it by a well known developer? Seems like today all we hear is "this is the best we can do while making it financially feasible" (I know I'm simplifying it) so a development with so much public space and affordable/market rate housing, which looks rather architecturally creative, (sadly) sounds fiscally "impossible," following today's developer's standards.