HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Shamrock Firehouse was built in 1908.
“It served the community very well up through 1980 when it was closed down and we consolidated into larger fire stations," said Brian Enterline, chief of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire.
Since then, it has sat at the corner of 15th and Herr Streets in Harrisburg
It’s now owned by Bethesda Mission, who uses it as a youth rec center.
The organization is now getting ready to demolish the historic station in order to expand.
“We tried to renovate and save the building," explained Scott Dunwoody, executive director of Bethesda Mission. "It would have cost us $700,000 more to renovate it than to demolish the fire station and build new.”
In a matter of weeks, the firehouse will be knocked down.
The new two-story building will connect to Bethesda’s current building next door.
There will be a larger gymnasium and computer center inside.
Dunwoody says the extra space is needed.
“We absolutely do because there are many who come to us and say ‘I want to get my child into your program,'" he explained. "We have to limit it to what we believe we can do successfully with each child.”
Bethesda Mission is still trying to raise money for this project.
The building is going to be demolished next month for certain but they still need more donations to ensure the community center is finished completely.
“We’re appealing to foundations, individuals, and churches to help us in any way possible," said Dunwoody. "The construction is going to begin in August. We’ll finish sometime next summer.”
Meanwhile, Chief Enterline says they plan to snag some keepsakes from the fire house to preserve in the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, like the wooden staircase inside.
He’s sad to see the station go, but is glad the property will still be helping the community.
“It has continued to serve the community while in a different way still serving or giving back to the community which is why we’re so excited about how we move forward here," said Chief Enterline.
If you're interested in donating to the project, you can learn more here.
Download the FOX43 app here.