Hollywood : Work Starts on Fire Station

Groundbreaking has begun on a Los Angeles city fire station in Hollywood, to replace an aging station that will be turned into the city’s first official Fire Department museum, officials said Wednesday.

Fire Station 27, at 1333 N. Cole Ave., was scheduled to be completed by December, 1991, but may take longer because of construction delays, according to city Fire Capt. Anthony Baldassano.

Groundbreaking began Oct. 4, at a ceremony presided over by Hollywood-area Councilman Michael Woo and city fire officials.

The new three-level station, although slightly smaller than the old one, will be one of the bigger stations in Los Angeles, Baldassano said.

The old station, built more than 60 years ago, is undergoing earthquake reinforcement.

Once the reinforcement is completed, the structure will become an official Los Angeles City Fire Department museum, complete with department memorabilia, including fire trucks and other equipment from the past six decades, Baldassano said.