Belltown - Station 2 - Historic

About Your Station
Fire Station 2, located at 2334 Fourth Avenue, is the oldest working fire station in Seattle. Built in 1921, the facility houses one engine company, a ladder unit, a medic unit, and a reserve medic unit.
In 1985, the Seattle Landmarks Board designated Station 2 as a landmark. Click here to read the landmark nomination report.

Station Improvements

arai jackson ellison murakami , a local architectural firm, is designing the renovation.
Improvements will include:

• a seismic upgrade to bring the station up to current safety standards
• full station reconfiguration to provide capacity for two more firefighting vehicles
• space to house one of the City's three new fragmentation caches (if the City is divided into fragments during a seismic event or other disaster, these secure storage areas provide future flexibility)
• space to house a new occupational health center.

Design and permitting are underway. Construction will follow in 2008.

Because of the landmark status, all structural modifications will be made without adversely altering the historic character of the building.

Temporary Relocation

During the station upgrade, the station will be relocated to an interim facility that will ensure continued fire and medic response to the neighborhood served by Fire Station 2.

Current Status

June 2008:  Design is nearly complete, with construction anticipated to begin this fall.

Project Milestones

March 2008:  The project received a certificate of approval from the Landmarks Preservation Board.

October 2007: About 100 neighbors attended the design development open house.

July 2007: The Landmarks Committee reviewed switching the locations of the garage door and the man door on the west facade. The committee also looked at the prospect of having the historic bell, currently located at Fire Station 5, returned to the property.

March 2007: Approximately 100 community members attended the pre-design scope open house to learn about station improvements, view sketches, meet the fire fighters, and tour the engine, medic unit, and ladder truck.

November 2006: arai jackson ellison murakami architects were selected for the project.