A new facade unveiled
Firefighters association marks 150th year with building renovations
The Firefighters Association of the State of New York on Monday unveiled a new $2 million facade at its Washington Avenue headquarters.
The 11-month project included new additions to the building such as energy-efficient windows, a high-tech training room and an improved pedestrian ramp.
“To mark our 150th anniversary, the board of directors decided to combine some necessary maintenance on the roughly 70-year-old building with a whole new façade facing Washington Avenue, just off the corner of the Capitol — a new face of the building that really establishes the volunteer fire service’s presence in Albany,” said Robert Leonard, a spokesman for the organization. “The front of a typical metal and glass mid-20th century three story office building has now been transformed to look like a classic red-brick fire station, including a graphic of a fire truck in the ‘firehouse’ bay.”
To celebrate the unveiling, the association’s president, John Farrell and other leaders gathered with state and local officials, including state Fire Administrator James B. Cable, at a ribboncutting ceremony Monday evening.
“We thought it was time to do a new face-lift of the front of our facility,” Farrell said. The project from conception until its completion took about two years, he added.
To undertake the renovations, the association enlisted the help of Lechase Construction Service in Schenectady.
The association’s name, which was changed earlier this year from “Firemen’s Association” to “Firefighters Association,” is emblazoned on the building’s new red brick exterior.
The structure has been in the association’s possession since 1984. Prior to that, it belonged to a bank and an insurance company.
The renovation project was timed with the association’s 150th anniversary.
“Looking back over the last 150 years, I think the leadership over those years did a great job with building the foundation that all the officers and members are standing on,” Farrell said. “And the upgrade gives us a good moving forward for the next 150 years.”