In Quarters: Mount Holly, NJ, Fire District No. 1 Relief Firehouse
This facility received the Renovations Notable award in the 2024 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here.
Early in the 2000s, the Mount Holly Fire District (MHFD) realized that consolidation of the fire companies in town was critical for providing emergency response services to its community into the future. By consolidating the companies under one roof, the district could optimize staffing and right-size the fleet, while reducing overhead and administration.
In March 2006, the MHFD launched a project to begin the processes of programming, estimating, site selection and schematic design for a consolidated facility. By July 2012, the project team came to consensus that the facility should be located on the site of the historic Relief Firehouse. In December 2015, Mount Holly voters passed a $7.9 million public referendum that would fund an addition, renovations, and site improvements and soft costs.
The facility, which was completed in 2023, includes a history room (which contains the original 1752 firehouse and 1880 Silsby Steamer), a training room, and conference facilities in the 1884 building and 1967 addition. A new, two-story addition houses dispatch, turnout gear storage, offices, a lounge, a gym, bunks and restrooms, all adjacent to four bays of apparatus, with adjacent decontamination, laundry and storage. Outside, the “ghost” of a removed storage appendage was designed as a memorial wall as backdrop to the flagpoles.
The fenestration on the new stair/hose tower forms an “MH” logo. On the “M” are names of the four companies that came together in this joint facility. This illuminated masonry façade signifies the collaboration and unity that was created by this building. It’s a new beginning that comes from a historic context. The “MH” now is the symbol for not just the fire district but also for the entire community, which is coming together in a transformative effort to revitalize the town.
Architect: Regan Young England Butera