by Brendan Sample

As plans for expansion of the historic Engine 37 firehouse continue to develop, Cecil Baker + Partners gave residents of Chestnut Hill an update on the project during a joint meeting of the Chestnut Hill Community Association's Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee and the Historic District Advisory Committee on March

After briefly recapping information from the previous meeting, Eric Leighton, a partner at Cecil Baker representing the firm at the meeting, went into detail regarding tentative plans for renovation on the inside and outside of the firehouse. Leighton also made sure to emphasize that while the firm had to start somewhere, the plans presented at the meeting were not set in stone and could certainly change over the course of the planning process.

The project remains focused on creating more room at the firehouse for an additional engine, more parking spots and ensuring that all firefighters would have “a safe and healthy workplace,” according to Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel. The firm is specifically planning to increase the amount of parking spaces to 10, ensuring that both the primary crew and the firefighters that take over for them will have enough space to park. While the new lot will mean that parking will be a tight fit, Thiel asserted that the firefighters are used to maneuvering in spaces like that.

In addition to the internal plans, Leighton also showed two 3D models of what Engine 37 could look like once renovations are completed. One model showed a separate garage for the fire trucks next to the main building, while another had a full-sized firehouse next to the original one. Though it remains to be seen which design, if either of them, will be the final one, residents still appreciated being able to see what the finished renovations could ultimately look like.

One of the main concerns that residents at the meeting had, some of whom were with the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, was whether or not the front of the finished building would remain symmetrical. Now over 120 years old, the firehouse’s symmetry is seen as an important part of its historical significance. While it’s still too early to say for certain, the firm did indicate that there were no plans to change the building’s symmetrical front.

A representative of the city of Philadelphia, Vincent Krakauskas, architectural project coordinator and project manager of the renovation for the city, was also on hand at the meeting. He reiterated the fact that everything presented was still in the conceptual stage, saying that the city has yet to approve the zoning variances it needs to actually begin construction. As that process will ultimately have to go through many different departments, the entire renovation process could end up taking an entire year before it is finished.

Some of the last points given consideration at the meeting included the idea of an underground parking lot, which the firm realized could compromise the foundation of the firehouse, and landscaping, which has yet to be brought to the table in terms of specific planning.

Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com