The Future of Building 18, the “Old Firehouse” at Sand Point NAS Historic District

• June 22, 2012
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• Advocacy Alert

Neighborhood preservation advocates, Friends of Naval Air Station Seattle Historic District, with the support of local preservation organizations are working to save Building 18 and seek adaptive reuse solutions for the historic building. Located in the Sand Point Naval Air Station Seattle Historic District (a locally designated landmark district and National Register of Historic Places-listed district) in Magnuson Park, the historic firehouse is a significant contributing resource situated prominently in the core of the park.

The structure is owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation and has sat vacant and deteriorating for years. Its condition worsens every year as deferred maintenance contributes greatly to its decline. It is in need of a new roof and structural stabilization among other things.

The good news is the building is not too far gone and can be and should be rehabilitated. There are many opportunities to turn what some consider an “eyesore” into a community and park asset that serves the needs of the park, its users and the larger community. This spring, citizens listed repair of Buildings 18 and 2 (a significant historic hangar) as the top priority in the Strategic Planning process for the park in the next ten years.

Preservation advocates are seeking broader support for the adaptive reuse of the historic firehouse. They have submitted Building 18 to a new online platform called “Popularise”—a crowd source medium that brings news ideas from the ground up (rather than top down) to find ways to improve our communities.

We encourage you to view Popularise and submit ideas and comments about what you would like to see happen with Building 18. And please help spread the word to get more ideas and support for saving Building 18!