Salem Awarded Matching $65K Grant for North Street Fire Station

On Thursday, the Salem Mayor's Office announced that the city has been awarded a $65,000 matching grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund to undertake masonry work, painting, and window improvements to the North Street Fire Station.

The oldest functioning fire station in Salem, the North Street building was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

It was constructed in 1881, designed by Architect William D. Dennis, a native of North Salem who was Salem’s leading architect in the late 19th century and who designed numerous public and religious buildings. 

More than 130 years later, the fire station is still used by the Salem Fire Department and it is still referred to as Engine #2 or Station #2. 

According to local firefighters, it is said to be the third oldest continuously operating station still open in the United States.

“We are fortunate to receive this matching grant,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. “It will enable the City of Salem to preserve one of its most historic fire stations and improve conditions for the fire fighters who work there.”

The total project, at around $130,000, is expected to go out to bid in the fall and will include: 

• Repointing and rebuilding the corbelled cornice around the entire building, step cracks around the entire building, and areas of loose brick under selected windows and at the stair tower.
• Repointing open joints in the front façade gable and the spandrel over the door.
• Chemically cleaning all facades.
• Removing all one-over-one sash vinyl window units and blocking and replacing them with new replica one-over-one wood window sash units.
• Restoring the sash in the central front façade arched window to its original size and removing the blind panels.
• Repainting all wood trim and replacing damaged components, including wood sub-sills.
• Recaulking the joints of all window frames to the brick masonry in conjunction with the repainting.

“This work will help stop the continued deterioration of this important historic structure,” Fire Chief David Cody said in a release.