The Penn Street Fire Station was conceived in response to the Reading Fire Department’s need to decommission two antiquated fire stations at Court Street and Franklin Street and to consolidate equipment and personnel into a centrally-located facility with capacity for the latest fire-fighting apparatus and spaces for current daily operations.

Endeavoring to reinvigorate the streetscape along Penn Street, the proposed two-story fire station fills an existing mid-block void. Five apparatus bays contain a tillered aerial ladder, two engines, two rescue trucks, two ambulances, and a deputy chief’s vehicle. Enlargement of Orange Street allows for vehicle access from both the north and south sides of the apparatus bays, minimizing disruption to traffic on Penn Street.

Recognizing deficiencies in the existing 9th and Marion Street Fire Station due to modern equipment sizes, personnel capacity, deteriorated building components, and space utilization requirements, the Reading Fire Department sought to examine feasibility for a new fire station to be constructed at the site of an existing playground on the opposing side of Marion Street. K&KA studied existing conditions at the constricted site and developed several preliminary design options that included off-street parking and green space to comply with zoning regulations. Each option included a new facility with three to four apparatus bays. By situating parking adjacent to the rear alley, the three-story steel and masonry structure is enabled to address 9th and Marion Streets with a continuous frontage. In addition to construction of the new fire station, the study evaluated demolition of the existing building with the installation of a new playground in its place.

Building program criteria for both stations included space planning for equipment processing, storage, maintenance, training, office functions, fitness, food preparation, and gender-specific sleeping quarters, locker rooms and restrooms.