In Quarters: Chula Vista, CA, Fire Station No. 1

This facility received the Renovations Notable award in the 2025 Firehouse Station Design Awards. Find the full list of winners here. 

Chula Vista Fire Station No. 1 has been a landmark structure in the community since it opened in 1948.

Although the exterior of the facility is iconic to the city, at 77 years old, the inside was outdated and no longer met the evolving needs of the department’s operations. The design-build team worked closely with the city of Chula Vista to design a new layout for the station that would provide an improved living quarters/workspace for fire personnel, while preserving elements of the station that the department and community love. The original fire alarm bell from 1948 still stands outside of the building.

Renovated elements included the demolition of most of the existing interior walls, doors/windows, ceilings, finishes and utilities and integrated best practices for fire station design that would equip the facility for the next 50-plus years. The updated facility accommodates modern equipment, including an expanded apparatus bay for a new ladder truck, an ambulance company and personnel facilities. Noting that interior renovations to historic buildings can be very challenging, updates to the interior of Fire Station No. 1 that the Station Design Awards judges liked: an oversize fitness room, and painting the bay ceiling white (“Transformative,” remarked one judge).

The city elected to update the exterior via new stucco and a new roof to repair aging aspects of the building and to ensure that it will stand for years to come.

Tasked with the challenge of remaining operational during construction, the design-build team worked closely with the city, the department and the construction management team to phase the construction and ensure designated portions of the building remained operational at all times. A temporary gym was set up in the parking lot, a trailer was set up outside for turnout gear storage and a temporary wall was constructed to divide the apparatus bay, to keep one apparatus bay in service.

The building program was developed to meet the specific needs of the station as well as to ensure design consistency across existing Chula Vista fire stations. This was an important factor that allowed operations to stay consistent throughout the entire department.

Architect: COAR Design Group