CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-23-97 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Isaac Benton
RESOLUTION
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Prioritizing The Maintenance, Restoration, And Active Use Of The Atchison, Topeka, And Santa Fe Railway Fire Station (Benton)
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PRIORITIZING THE MAINTENANCE, RESTORATION, AND ACTIVE USE OF THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA, AND SANTA FE RAILWAY FIRE STATION.
WHEREAS, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Fire Station (Firehouse) was built in 1920 and is part of the 27 acre Rail Yards site; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse is the oldest remaining fire station in the city; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse was built to house the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Fire Department, to serve the railroad’s shop and roundhouse complex; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse was designed by E. A. Harrison, in the picturesque revival style, and conveys the railroad architect’s romantic images of the Southwest; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse is made from rough, random ashlar sandstone, quarried from Laguna Pueblo, and salvaged from the Rail Yard’s original 1881 roundhouse; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse became a City Landmark in 1987, with development guidelines adopted in 1990; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse is a contributing structure within the Historic Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway Locomotive Shops Historic District, which was added to the State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse is noted in the Rail Yards Master Plan (2014) as a structure for preservation; and
WHEREAS, the Rail Yards Master Plan includes the following policy, Architecture and Historic Rehabilitation Policy 5.2.1 “Rehabilitate and/or adaptively re-use historic resources: The historic resources represented by the Rail Yards should be rehabilitated and adaptively reused in plans for economic ventures, cultural amenities, and physical changes to the site.”; and
WHEREAS, the City has been working on physical improvements to the Rail Yards, including the replacement of the Boiler Shop and Tender Repair roofs in 2021, rehabilitation of the Blacksmith Shop in 2013 and the creation of the Plaza in 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse has become increasingly dilapidated; and
WHEREAS, the Firehouse’s prominent location on the 2nd Street edge of the property makes the building vulnerable to vandalism; and
WHEREAS, given the Firehouse’s unique history and architectural style, it’s prominent location on the edge of the site, the Firehouse is an appropriate priority for maintenance, restoration, and active use.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The maintenance, restoration, and active use of the Firehouse on the Rail Yards site shall be a priority for 2023, and for the work on the Rail Yards site. The building shall be secured from unlawful entry and vandalism.
SECTION 2. The Administration shall present on a six monthly basis to the City Council on progress on the restoration of the building, and potential future uses and tenants for the building.
SECTION 3. Maintenance, and restoration of the Firehouse shall be a funding priority for the City, including in the Capital budget and State Capital Outlay.
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