An existing public school administration building in downtown Durango may be upgraded and repurposed as a new office and station for the city’s fire department.
Officials with the Durango Fire Protection District say that they want to purchase a 4.3-acre site in the 1200 block of E. 12th Street, with the idea of demolishing a 1960s-era high school, while upgrading the next-door historic administration building.
That latter structure is a three-story brick building that was opened in 1917 and served as a high school until 1976 when it became the Durango School District’s headquarters.
As proposed, the project would cost around $15 million for the demolition of the high school and repurposing and remodeling of the administration building.
That remodeling would likely see new space carved out for the fire department’s emergency services center, with the building’s spacious auditorium used for training sessions.
The Durango School District has entered into a letter of intent with the Durango Fire Protection District, stipulating, in part, that the historic administration building be both preserved and maintained.
The Durango Fire Protection District’s current downtown station, at 1235 Camino Del Rio, has a number of structural issues, lacks adequate space, and was never intended to be a permanent location for the fire department.
While nothing between the fire district and the school district has been finalized, it is expected that once that transaction is completed, it will take up to 18 months to arrive at a design for the renovation of the administration building.
The building, notable for its terra cotta trim, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
By Garry Boulard
