City to Unveil New Station at Ceremony

By Bob Seidenberg, City Editor
February 26, 2004

Firefighter-paramedic Geoff Bloch lived with other firefighters in a cramped trailer located on the parking lot outside Ryan Field while waiting for Fire Station No. 3 to be rebuilt on its old site at 1105 Central St.

"I used to drive by here every day to check on the progress," he said, working out last week on a treadmill in the new station's fitness room. "Especially toward the end, I wanted to come in here and tell the guys, 'Hey, get moving.'"

He doesn't have to say that anymore. City officials will mark the official opening of the station at a special open house and ribbon cutting ceremony, scheduled for 3-7 p.m. Friday at the station.

The station itself has been operational since the second week of January. Firefighters had some idea what to expect though because of the unique collaborative process put in place, involving the architects, Evanston-based Yas-Fischel Partnership, the city's facilities management team and members of the Fire Department.

Members of the design team met with firefighters from all three shifts, and worked with a special firefighters committee, listening to what they would like to see in their new station.

"We wanted to make sure this was their design," said Stephen Yas, the design partner on the project.

The new station was built in 11 months, one month ahead of schedule, and had fewer of the change items (adjustments) that showed up on some other recent projects.

Max Rubin, the city's facilities manager, said the new station, with its ample glass and light, is "a friendlier station, more comfortable" for firefighters.

Moreover, it should be a "lot better for firefighters long-term," said Rubin, who said Fire Station No. 5, at 2830 Central St., is next in line for a major renovation.

The old Fire Station No. 3, built in 1954, was regarded as one of the city's poorest municipal buildings at the end of its life.

"You'd go from room to room and it was a different temperature," recalled Capt. Bill Betke.

The architects opted for a modern open look for the new building. On some of the old stations, encased in brick, you could pass it "and not realize it was a fire station," Yas said. "We wanted to avoid that.

Firefighters didn't get everything they sought. For instance, the firefighters committee lobbied for a two-story structure. Yas said the firm looked at a two-story scheme, but it could not move ahead with the plan, based on the building's budget.

But the new station includes a number of special features that grew out of the conversations with firefighters, including a fume free garage; larger bays, allowing greater storage and the housing of specialized vehicles; separate sleeping rooms, allowing firefighters on each shift to have their own beds.

Bill Reid, a firefighter with the department nearly 28 years, likes the noise insulation at the station, located right next to the el station.

"A train comes by and you hardly notice it," he said.

Also, "the layout of the station accommodates easy access to the vehicles for quick response out of the station," said Acting Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky, showing a visitor around recently.

Yas singled out the work of Frank Kassen from facilities management; former Fire Chief John Wilkinson and Division Chief Samuel Hunter; Jonathan Fischel, managing partner at the firm; and Joe McNeil, the project architect, as playing key roles.