Old fire station becomes a new home
By Erin Elaine Mosely
Special to the Advertiser
David Braly and Mark Montoya's latest project gives a whole new meaning to the term "flipping."
The designers aren't converting just any old home into new living and office space -- they're tackling a whole firehouse.
Braly, an architect and artist, and garden designer Montoya are renovating the old Bellinger Hill fire station. The two men and a crew of contractors have spent most of the year rebuilding bathroom showers, tiling floors and installing electrical fixtures, heating and air conditioning systems.
They've also painted the roof, modified the plumbing and are upgrading other amenities. When it's complete, it will serve as Braly's "dream home" and will also house an art studio.
"It's basically everything that would go into building a brand-new house, only we've had to deal with 14-inch thick masonry walls," Braly said.
The two-story firehouse, built in the mid-20th century, is about 1,400 to 1,500 square feet on each floor. Located at 1164 S. McDonough St., it was the city's radio shop for nearly 20 years after it was no longer an active fire station. The radio shop moved to a new spot off Lower Wetumpka Road in 2005. A friend told Braly about the vacant building and he asked the city if he could purchase it.
The renovation, Braly said, ties in with the city's efforts to revitalize the downtown area. City Loft Corp. converted a 19th-century produce warehouse into 246 Lofts. The apartments at 246 North Court St., just blocks from the baseball stadium, have 25-foot ceilings, century-old trusses, real wood floors and modern plumbing.
Similar projects are shaping up in the downtown corridor and Montoya is tickled to be a part of that rebirth. He grew up in Montgomery and traveled a bit before coming back because he "didn't think there was a much better place than Montgomery to live." The project has made his return that much more enjoyable.
"This has been a real fun project because David and I were both looking for sort of a loft-type environment but he needed space to work," said Montoya, adding that both have pets. "We needed some outdoor space, and there's land here where we can have dogs and have gardens, which is a big plus."
Mary Ann Neeley, a local historian, said the fire station was one of the first suburban fire stations built when Montgomery began to spread out from downtown. She said it mainly served the community, but firefighters stationed at Bellinger Hill were most likely dispatched to major fires such as a blaze in 1967 on Dexter Avenue that burned down three or four buildings.
"I think it's a wonderful reuse of a very valuable structure here in Montgomery, one with a long history," she said. "It will serve a wonderful purpose."
The designers are sprinkling the home with sculptures, paintings and other fixtures that pay homage to its former use as a fire station and that also reflect its mid-20th century roots. Much of the furniture, lighting and trinkets are pieces bought at estate, antique and garage sales in Montgomery.
The downstairs bathroom is painted ginger-boy, a sort of reddish brown color that Braly and Montoya called a muted version of the traditional bright red found in firehouses.
"It's a red you can live with," Braly said.
The bathroom has a vessel sink, artwork, a four-legged old-fashioned bathtub and bamboo mat -- décor typical of the 1900s. Before going up to the second level, visitors enter through a 7-foot high door, which was installed above the steps to keep the horses from going upstairs, Montoya said.
One of the most spacious rooms on the second floor is the bathroom. Both men say it was probably the firefighters' locker room. Now a grand salon, it has a loveseat, ornate fixtures and a re-tiled shower.
"It was for firemen to take showers and so forth, so it's really big and it's kind of hard to make it look like a bathroom," Montoya said.
Braly joked, "We may not have a great room, but we have a great bathroom!"
The second floor is also home to the kitchen, living and dining rooms (a former dormitory), a television room -- Montoya's favorite in the house -- and two bedrooms.
The two have worked hard to maintain the architectural integrity and history of the building. Braly painted a mural on a wall in the dressing area/wash room and plans to paint another one in the kitchen or living room area of historic fires in Montgomery. The dining room has an artificial coal-burning fireplace.
Braly and Montoya also preserved another integral feature of the home -- the pole.
"We're looking forward to using the pole," Braly said. "It's the fastest, most direct route to the front door. We'll be using the pole quite a bit."
They also plan to keep four doors from firefighters' lockers, which will provide storage for paint in the art studio. The large set of doors in the house where fire engines exited and entered are also still intact.
"They're not original to the building, but they are certainly part of the character of the building," Braly said. "They are great for letting light come into the downstairs area and great for moving large things in and out of the building. Mark and I do not want change too much of the character of the building."
There is still more to be done, but the work is progressing. Some rooms need a fresh coat of paint and they are installing new cabinets and interior doors.
The overall goal, Braly and Montoya said, is to make the home a chic version of the old Bellinger Hill fire station.
"We don't want to turn it into a modern house," Montoya said.
More reurbanization evidence!
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