June 04, 2012

Rare Opportunity to Own Historic Firehouse in Salisbury NC

The beloved 1897 Old Salisbury Firehouse that once housed the fire department, the mayor's office, and the "calabose" ~ the jailhouse ~ is for sale in Historic Downtown Salisbury, North Carolina.  An opportunity to own a special building like this comes once-in-a-lifetime.  Any business here is sure to succeed.  The Old Salisbury Firehouse is surrounded by thriving businesses in the heart of downtown Salisbury, and the support network provided by Downtown Salisbury Inc. is unmatched.

The building, because of its original roots as a firehouse, has wonderfully unique characteristics, from its brass and wood cupola which once housed the fire bell to its high hipped roof punctuated with decorative gables featuring heavy console brackets on each elevation to the many other exterior features that leave The Old Salisbury Firehouse appearing much as it did when first complete in 1897. 

The Old Salisbury Firehouse is one of North Carolina's oldest firehouses.  The first firehouses here were often small buildings that reflected the nature of early American firefighting when citizens answered alarms with buckets, ladders, and eventually hand-powered fire engines.  Larger and more formal buildings appeared as the size of the hand pumps increased, and engine houses needed meeting rooms, sleeping areas, and accommodation for horses.  The State's oldest firehouse is a single-story brick building in Old Salem in Winston-Salem.  Built in 1803, the Market and Fire House served as both the town market and as a storage facility for the town's hand-pulled, hand-powered fire engines.  The Old Salisbury Firehouse, completed during the spring of 1897, housed Salisbury's Fire Department on the first floor, the city jail in a one-story rear section, and city offices on the second floor.  The fire department included four horses, four horse carts, two horse wagons, and hone hook and ladder truck. A one-story brick addition was added to the north side of the building by 1913 and was used to store the city's police wagon. The building continued to be used by the City of Salisbury as a fire station into the early 1960s, then stood vacant for several years before being adapted to a restaurant in the late 1970s.  A fire in the 1980 destroyed much of the building's interior, but by the 1990's it housed a florist and gift shop.  It now sits empty awaiting its new resurrection!

The structure retains many of its unique firehouse architectural features.  A heavy wooden cornice with console brackets runs around the edge of the entire roof, which has an attractive brass and wood cupola in its center that was the original site of the fire department's bell tower. The first floor is characterized by broad arched openings with striated brickwork frames that originally accommodated the wagons and horses of the fire and police departments. The second floor features a three-part square window flanked by two round-headed windows with heavy arched hoods with keystones.

Downtown Salisbury Inc, (DSI) a non-profit agency devoted to promoting, enhancing, and managing the development of Salisbury's central business district, helps to ensure that any business that might make its home in The Old Salisbury Firehouse is supported in a manner which will make the district the economic, governmental, social, and cultural center of Rowan County. DSI addresses the needs of impacting neighborhoods and businesses within and adjacent to the Salisbury Municipal Service District and accomplished this by promoting activity in economic restructuring, design, promotions, and building partnerships.

The Old Salisbury Firehouse building has recently undergone some minor interior rehabilitation.  Central Piedmont Builders recently created an estimate for further rehab work. For more information regarding estimated costs for further rehabilitation, or for a customized estimate to meet your individual business needs, contact Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846.  The building is a 4,300-4,400 square foot space in a mixed-use zone in downtown Salisbury, mere minutes from the Interstate-86 junction. The Old Salisbury Firehouse building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, making it a property that qualifies for N.C. & Federal Historic Tax Credits, and potential city grants. This special opportunity to own this landmark building in historic Salisbury North Carolina is available for the unbelievably attractive price of $188, 750!

The listing agent for The Old Salisbury Firehouse is Marie Leonard-Hampton of Wallace Realty.  You can contact Marie at 704.636.2021 or contact Greg Rapp as your buyers agent at 704.213.6846.  Call Greg Rapp to see for yourself the completely unique characteristics of The Old Salisbury Firehouse and learn more about opportunities in downtown Salisbury.

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