This grant is in addition to the $750,000 grant that was awarded by the New Jersey Historic Trust earlier this year.

“I’ve been committed to investing in our Fire Department since day one,” said Mayor Marty Small, Sr. “I’m the first Mayor in over a decade to do so, and now with the help of these grants we can continue to work to fix problems overlooked in previous administrations.”

 

The African American Civil Rights grant is provided by the Historic Preservation Fund, as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. Rutala Associates, the City’s Grant Consultant, secured both grants.

 

“The African American Civil Rights grants are critical to helping preserve and interpret a more comprehensive narrative of the people, places, and events associated with African American Civil Rights movement,” said National Parks Service Director Chuck Sams.  

 

Fire Station 2 is a key resource in the Northside Institutional Historic District, which retains a relatively high degree of integrity of location, association, feeling, design, materials, and workmanship to convey its significance as a rare concentration of institutional buildings designed in a variety of architectural revival styles within the City’s historic African American neighborhood.

 

The major goal of the first phase of this project is to preserve and stabilize the 100-year-old station’s building envelope.  Once the building is protected, the second and third phases will rehabilitate the interior to allow Fire Station 2 to continue its mission as a functioning 21st century firehouse and Northside community fixture.

 

The building requires exterior work because of water infiltration that has cracked and spalled the extensive poured-in-place concrete used for foundation walls, floor slabs and to encase steel columns and beams.  All three roofs require replacement, the exterior masonry must be repointed, and wall flashing must be replaced, both to fix earlier non-historic repairs and to protect from further water infiltration.  

 

The firehouse is significant architecturally, with a two-story base and a prominent tower rising four additional floors in the Romanesque Revival style in early 20th century. The structure was designed to accommodate horse-drawn fire engines and the original stable building remains on the property.

 

The City has been making great strides towards historic preservation.

 

In February 2020, Atlantic City become New Jersey’s newest Certified Local Government.  As a Certified Local Government community, Atlantic City is afforded the opportunity to comment on National Register of Historic Places nominations within the City, to receive enhanced technical assistance, and to apply for preservation planning grants available only to participating communities.

 

In Atlantic County, only Hamilton Township and Somers Point qualify for the Certified Local Government Program.

 

Designation as a Certified Local Government also allows the City to apply for additional grants.  Earlier this month, the State Historic Preservation Office awarded grant funds to the City to prepare a Comprehensive Conditions Assessment of the West Pavilion at Kennedy Plaza, a building that has been vacant for years and where there is significant interest in transforming it to a café and restaurant use.

 

The Historic Commission was established to promote historic preservation in the City.  Atlantic City has eight sites on the State’s Register of Historic Places and 24 additional buildings that have been deemed eligible for inclusion.  There are an additional 30 sites identified in the City’s Master Plan that warrant consideration.