The Town of Wellesley requested that its new fire station recall elements of traditional architecture and convey a distinctive civic identity. The resulting Wellesley Fire Department Headquarters, prominently sited on Route 9, was one of Schwartz/Silver’s first stand-alone buildings and first fire station. It is both an award-winning structure and a familiar and popular public success to this day.

The site, adjacent to a busy highway and backed by railroad tracks, is visible from two sides only. The design approach was to look at the station as two buildings in one – an economical metal-clad apparatus block within the elbow of a more traditional-appearing, pitched-roofed brick building. The masonry structure arches over the glass and metal fire truck bays, recalling bridges along busy Route 9. In order to reduce the visual mass, the top floor has continuous windows. The corner of the building serves as both a hose-drying tower and exit stair. A fire escape at its rear is used for training. Together with a stone clock-tower across the busy road, similar in size and scale, the pair of towers form a suitable civic entrance to the town.

Recognition:
AIA / BSA Design Excellence Award