Old Fire House

Sayerville’s first  Fire House/Administration Building was built in 1909; a two-story brick utilitarian building. The site was used as a fire station and by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and other similar entities until 2018 when a broken pipe caused the shutdown of the building. The damage was not repaired and, for financial reasons, the building was left vacant and sealed to avoid further damage. The Old Fire House in Sayreville continues the trend of losses in early constructed emergency service buildings. The 20th century saw a rapid evolution in emergency services. As emergency services evolved, so too has the equipment. Today’s fire engines, ladder trucks and ambulances are much larger than their predecessors. The result is that historic firehouses  cannot fit modern emergency equipment and communities often respond by re-locating stations or demolishing historic stations and constructing new. This has created a preservation crisis as these significant buildings of a community’s past are being abandoned or disappearing entirely. Firehouses encompass the important history of emergency services in New Jersey and represent the civic commitment of their communities to protect and serve in times of need. Rarely does an entire typology of structure come under threat, but due to rapid technological and policy changes, these iconic foundational community structures are under immediate threat throughout the state. We know that these structures can be adaptively reused for several functional and interesting purposes, such as libraries, offices, restaurants, bars, and even homes. Preservation New Jersey supports the Sayreville Historic Society and calls upon the municipality and our communities to think creatively and proactively to seek out new uses and/or owners for these structures, rather than abandon or demolish them.