Old Downtown Firehouse Takes New Role

The slender Renaissance Revival structure at 644 S. Figueroa St. that once housed Engine Company No. 28 with its proud record for quenching many a blazing fire in downtown Los Angeles, has been totally revitalized for adaptive reuse.

Once doomed to certain demolition, its careful restoration and architectural revision by Altoon & Porter now preserves the structural integrity of the original firehouse, in keeping with its status as a national historic landmark. To preservationists who fought a hard battle to save it from the auction gavel in 1979, it represents a real triumph.

Built in 1912 and designed by Kremple & Erekes, the building had been vacant for 15 years. It took five years to explore an appropriate recycling of the little fire station. Also considerable commitment and funds were required to make it happen.

Today, that resultant effort is a $5-million investment by a partnership consisting of Peter Mullin, president of Management Compensation Group, Linda Griego, Hugh Biele and David Bradley, as well as the vigilance of the Los Angeles Conservancy and cooperation of the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Restaurant in Plans

The major portion of the building is now occupied by Mullin’s firm, which specializes in executive compensation, planning and employee benefits, and is also the headquarters for the nonprofit Los Angeles Area Theatre Alliance and site of a street-level restaurant being developed by Griego and Jerry Magnin, her partner in the venture.

The architectural revision of the fire station has provided 14,972 additional square feet of office space by adding a fourth floor to the original 3-story structure, bringing the total square footage to 35,152.

The original building, one of the first reinforced concrete fire stations built in Los Angeles, utilized up-to-date construction techniques of that era. Its upper floors featured two 2-story arched Renaissance window bays, and between the bays were three terra cotta cartouches depicting a fireman’s helmet and tools and the seal of the city of Los Angeles.

These details have been preserved, in addition to the original ornate Victorian pressed-tin ceilings and wainscoting that blend with a high-tech modular design bringing into play original skylights, lavish use of green marble and polished brass railings. The original fire pole remains, as well as some of the engine company’s memorabilia. The original massive firehouse doors are displayed in a permanent open position at the entrance to the lobby.

No Imitations

“Because of its listing with the National Register of Historic Places, no visible architectural or structural changes could be made to the firehouse’s Renaissance Revival facade,” Mullin explained. “It was stated that we could not imitate the original, and the designers worked hard to retain the spirit of the firehouse design without making copies.

“When we added the fourth level, it was done so that it would not be visible from the street. The coving that is so attractive in the original building was carried out in the new areas, and recessed lighting and linear beam smoke detection systems were installed instead of sprinklers to retain the beauty of the original ceilings.”

All work had to be approved by the U. S. Department of the Interior, the Community Redevelopment Agency and by the state Office of Historical Preservation. The design team included Jim Porter and Gary Dempster of Altoon & Porter, Tim Walker of Walker Associates Inc. and Carol Dudman of Country Life Interiors. The general contractor was Lusk Construction Co.