Philly’s oldest active fire station in Chestnut Hill is getting a makeover

The oldest active fire station in Philly is about to get a makeover. AIA Philadelphia announced this week that the historic Chestnut Hill Fire Station will be restored and renovated by Cecil Baker + Partners.

The fire station at 101 West Highland Avenue was built in 1894 and designed by architect John T. Windrim, who would soon go on to design the Franklin Institute in Logan Square.

The Chestnut Hill station has served as the headquarters for Engine 37 since its beginning.

The renovation of the historic fire station is still in the early planning stages, a representative for Cecil Baker + Partners told Curbed Philly. But the firm has already started meeting with the city and the Chestnut Hill community to determine the best design for the Richardsonian Romanesque stone building, Chestnut Hill Local reported late last year.

What they do know is that the fire station will have to be expanded in order to accommodate newer, bigger trucks that can fit through the doorways. An addition is also planned for the structure.

The news comes more than a year after the fire station was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. At the time, the commission acknowledged that the current structure was in need of significant repairs.

• Cecil Baker + Partners to Design Expansion of Historic Chestnut Hill Fire Station [AIA Philadelphia]
• Plans to expand Hill firehouse under way [Chestnut Hill Local]