Design of New Fire Station Reflects Area’s Character

Plans to build a new fire station in West Hollywood left residents in one neighborhood something less than thrilled. Nightmares danced through their heads: firetrucks racing down narrow residential streets and neighborhoods choked with parked cars.

But the old station did not meet earthquake standards and definitely had to be replaced. So city officials set out to design a station that would ease their constituents’ fears.

Architects working on the $1-million project, scheduled to be built this spring, listened to residents at three public hearings.

By the time the final design was up for approval in November, only four residents opposed it, said Nancy Greenstein, the city’s public safety coordinator.

The resulting station is a far cry from the traditional red brick firehouse. Its design reflects influences from the neighboring Craftsman-style bungalows. It features a two-tiered copper roof, 15-foot windows, redwood window columns and a balcony rail created by a sculptor with a fire and water theme.

Firefighters will keep their trucks off neighborhood streets by controlling a corner traffic signal, allowing trucks to exit directly into the intersection, Greenstein said.

“The only thing they didn’t get was no fire station,” Greenstein said. “We ended up with a better fire station and people feeling like the process works.”