The Old Fire Station
Exceptional, sympathetic redevelopment of an iconic landmark building
This building was built in 1856 as Trinity Methodist Chapel and Sunday School and is revered for its striking polychromatic brick exterior. The Chapel closed in 1935 and the building then served as York Fire Station from 1938 to 2011. In 2017, The Old Fire Station was the subject of an exceptional, sympathetic redevelopment to create 14 apartments and townhouses and two commercial units. The scheme won Silver at the 2020 What House Awards.
About our client
The Cliford Street Venture was formed to develop The Old Fire Station by The Helmsley Group and London Edor Developments. The Helmsley Group has over 40 years’ experience in providing attractive returns from a wide range of property opportunities for private client investors and partners. London Ebor Developments have been creating homes for over 35 years alongside commercial property developments in Yorkshire and in London.
Our role
The developers appointed us to provide full architectural services on this historic site, which presented us with a number of complex challenges. We had to manage the partial demolition of existing buildings whilst being sympathetic to the historical and architectural merits of the structure. The building is within York’s Central Conservation Area and to the West lies the River Ouse, which is notorious for breaking its banks. This meant the site was within Flood Zone 3. With such a high risk of flooding, we designed bespoke flood barriers and stormwater attenuation tanks.
Seamlessly blending the contemporary and the historic
The result is a striking new building within the footprint of The Old Fire Station that responds to a triptych of very different frontages. This scheme is a great example of how we are sensitive to history and heritage while designing sustainable, modern place to live and work. The new townhouses are nestle on the first floor of the Old School House and retain character features indicative of the Victorian era, including arched windows and high ceilings. Solar panels, heat recovery systems and a highly insulated façade all serve to minimise the carbon footprint and residents have communal cycle storage and EV changing.
Location
York
Client
The Clifford Street Venture
Client Type
Developer, Contractor, Showcase
Sector
Mixed-use
