New Moody Fire Station Project Edges Forward

WALTHAM, MA — The Moody Street Fire Station was built in the 1800s, when firefighters drive to the fires via horse-drawn carts. For years, the city has talked about how to best upgrade the historic station that they say is severely outdated. Now, after years of mostly less noticeable steps, the city approved the demolition of the Young Building near the corner of Moody and Maple.

"Getting the approval to take down the building is a huge step forward in this process," said Ward 8 City Councilor Cathyann Harris who is working on the project.

The building is expected to be demolished by year's end and will become a temporary parking lot for the firefighters during construction. Bids for construction are expected to be advertised before the end of 2018 with construction beginning in 2019, she said.

"Requests for funding will need to come to the Council and I would expect the council to act quickly," said City Council President Diane LeBlanc.

In April, the mayor appointed a design team that included an outside design firm, chief Tom McInnis, Purchasing Agent Joe Pedulla, Harris, and John Millian the building inspector. The fire chief then appointed a subgroup of firefighters.

The teams set off to come up with an initial design - that would preserve the existing historic fire station - that April with input from the mayor's office. The concept design they came up with went before the Historical Commission this summer to favorable reaction, said Harris.

But the commission had some questions.

During the back and forth the teams determined the Young Building needed to come down. Right now they're looking into what might need to go into that from a hazmat perspective, she said.

"It's been a very cooperative and collaborative process with the design team, city officials and the special task force," said Harris.

Once the city gets a demolition date, they'll notify abutters. And with the demolition will come the community meetings.

The building next to the station, 509-527 Moody, was acquired by the city back in 2012. Then the conversation turned to 95 Maple and what to do about that.

The Moody Street Fire Station building was built in 1890, and is included on the National Register and State Register of Historic places.

Waltham firefighters have been talking about a new Moody Street station for at least two decades, according to firefighters. The city looked at different sites, then decided on renovating the existing station, then the city acquired the building next door.

In 2017 there were tenants still living in the Young building through a federal program run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last month Bob Waters of the Waltham Housing Department and other city officials worked with HUD to help relocate the tenants.

The Moody Street Fire Station (along with the central fire station on Lexington Street) are nearly identical fire stations designed in the Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival styling by local architect Captain Samuel Patch. The Moody Street firehouse was built during an era of rapid development in the city's South Side in response to booming times at the Waltham Watch Company. It was gutted by fire in 1900, and reopened in 1901. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

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