Historic Fire Hall for Engine Co. 18

This project was by far our most difficult, but rewarding, achievement. Codes had a demolition order on this beautiful 1930's piece of Nashville Fire Department history. The historic landmark was an abandoned homeless camp. In December 2011, a homeless man looking to stay warm lit a fire in the rear of the building that caused severe structural damage. It left the building in dangerous condition, with holes in the asbestos tile floors (where you could see through to the basement), the rear exterior brick collapsing from water damage, a huge part of the roof burned off completely, and severed water and sewer lines.

Karen Goodlow loved the building and pursued it relentlessly for over a year. To her surprise the biggest reward and greatest satisfaction with this historic restoration project did not come from seeing it restored to its former glory, nor getting the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places, nor receiving the architectural excellence award from the Metro Nashville Historic Commission, nor being interviewed many times for the local TV news stations and newspapers. The greatest reward of this project came from seeing the joy, relief, and gratitude that was felt and expressed by countless people in the community. So many members of the Nashville Fire Department, retired firefighters, family members of former firefighters who worked there, and people who grew up in the area loved the firehall immensely and were afraid it would be destroyed forever. The joy of giving this historic treasure back to its community can not be expressed in words. For more information and historic photos go to: thestationnashville.com