This facility received a Renovation Silver Award in Firehouse's 2019 Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
Hartford Fire Station has served Maine’s Capital City for nearly a century from a hilltop overlooking the downtown. Designed back when firefighters were still using horse-drawn water pumps, the station’s infrastructure was failing under the weight of modern fire engines, which barely fit inside the apparatus bay doors. In 2016, Augusta voters approved $6 million to bring this important resource up to today’s standards.
The design solution was an 11,325 sq. ft. addition along with a major renovation of the original 8,800 sq. ft. Classical Revival structure. The new two-story, fully accessible expansion provides a six-vehicle, drive-through apparatus bay with a tail-pipe exhaust system, decontamination area, and rigorous Hot Zone/Cold Zone separation. The second-story living quarters offer a roomy kitchen/day room, fitness room, bunk rooms, personal laundry, and dedicated storage - all isolated from, yet quickly accessible to, the new apparatus bay.
The renovation of the 1920 portion of the building was threatened by the cost of foundation reinforcements required to meet essential facility standards for an existing fire station. The team reconfigured the design and put all critical uses into the new addition, technically a separate building, allowing Tier II standards on the 1920 wing of the facility.
The renovated original structure still provides many important functions, including a four-door apparatus storage bay for backup equipment and the station’s prized antique fire truck. Its second floor has administrative offices, large training room with kitchenette, unisex restrooms, conference room, and display space for historic memorabilia. Scope of work included a complete rebuild of the apparatus bay floor, all new MEP systems, many new windows, and additional insulation, making the 1920 building significantly more energy efficient. The entire site and parking lot were also reconfigured and expanded, adding more parking and a secure back entrance.
Architect/Firm Name: WBRC Architects Engineers.
