Historic Fire Station, City Hall to be Torn Down

City engineers are moving forward with plans to tear down one of the first buildings ever built in Rohnert Park. The old Southwest Fire Station — built in 1962 and ’63 when the population was just 6,000 — served as the first City Hall, the first police headquarters, the first municipal building.

So, when former 30-year City Manager Pete Callinan and local historian Tim Danesi found out about plans to demolish the structure, they called up the city to open up the barricaded doors. They wanted to have one last look.

Inside, dead mice were scattered on the periphery. Huge chunks of drywall missing from the walls created makeshift windows. The ceiling, filled with water stains, leaked in the old kitchen.

Callinan surveyed the scene of his old stomping grounds.

“I remember those chairs, those used to be the City Council chairs, and this here, this is my old office. Outside, that used to be just a dirt field,” Callinan said as he lingered near his office door, glancing across the street at rows of A Section homes. “This is a good building; don’t know why they have to get rid of it.”

Danesi remembers in the mid ‘90s when the building was turned over to the Boys and Girls Club. He surveyed the wall nearby, imprinted with dozens of handprints in red, blue, green.

“These are my daughter’s handprints,” Danesi said. “And she used to play pool on this pool table.”

The city is currently bidding with local companies to level the Southwest Station, a 6,000-foot property built on a half-acre site. Callinan joked that the project, at an estimated cost of $100,000-$200,000, will cost more to take down than it did to put up.

“There’s been no talk about saving it,” said City Engineer Rich Pedroncelli. “I think the rat infestation was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The station, that served as City Hall for 10 years, and as the city’s police headquarters for another 20 years after that, is in an area deemed blighted by the city — so redevelopment monies are funding the demolition. Plans are underway to then construct 17 very low-income apartments and possibly a nonprofit incubator, according to Linda Babonis, the city’s redevelopment manager.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” Callinan said. He leaned against the entrance of his former office. “We used to have parties here, community dances.”

“It’ll be sad to see it go,” he added.

Danesi said next week he’s going back to pull out anything significant to Rohnert Park’s history. He’s already saved a fire nozzle, embossed with “1962.” And he’s made inquiries to get the property listed on the state’s historic buildings registry. But it needs to be 50 years old.

“It’s only 49,” Danesi said. “I don’t think it should be torn down, it just needs to be earthquake retrofitted and fixed up a little. This is one of the oldest buildings in one of the first neighborhoods.”

Look at Petaluma’s historic downtown, look at the old post office in Santa Rosa — the city’s history can create a sense of identity if we preserve it, Danesi said.