Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Construction starts Thursday on Firehouse Arts Center
Reception planned to mark long-awaited downtown culture hub

by Jeb Bing

Pubic ceremonies will be held starting at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to mark the start of construction of the $15-million Firehouse Arts Center in downtown Pleasanton.

The center will make extensive use of the old historic firehouses at 4444 Railroad Ave., at the end of Division Street, as well as contemporary architecture with large expanses of windows overlooking city streetscapes and Lions Wayside Community Park. It will feature a 240-seat flexible studio theater, 2,000 square feet of high quality gallery space, two large art classrooms and a spacious grand lobby for receptions and events.

Scheduled for completion late next year, the arts center project is being managed by O'Connor Construction Management, Inc. of Irvine. The company has a Northern California branch in Pleasanton and has an extensive background in public buildings, schools and other community spaces.

City Manager Nelson Fialho said the special needs and complexity of the Firehouse Arts Center warranted securing a construction management company to oversee the project. It will include portions of the historic original brick building blended with new construction space and features.

The Railroad Avenue building once housed both the old Pleasanton Fire Department headquarters as well as Fire Stations No. 1 and No. 4. It's been vacant for two years ever since the Pleasanton department merged with Livermore's and built a new headquarters and Station No. 1 for the combined Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department at Nevada Street and Bernal Avenue.

Fire Station No. 4 was later relocated into a new facility on Bernal Avenue across from the fairgrounds.

The Firehouse Arts Center has been planned for years by the city and its nonprofit partner, the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Foundation. The foundation has raised $1.77 million to date and its long-term goal is to raise a total of $3 million to $5 million to support the project and the arts in Pleasanton.

The City Council last April voted to accept the low construction bid of $8.06-million submitted by W. A. Thomas Construction to build the Arts Center. Thomas built the Alameda County library on Bernal Avenue, which the city later acquired and is now the Pleasanton Public Library.

Although the City Council indicated it was prepared to appropriate more if needed, much of the balance is expected to be funded by the foundation and individual contributors. Fialho said there are sufficient funds in the city's capital reserve fund for the project.

In addition to the efforts of the foundation, Pleasanton residents Nancy and Gary Harrington donated two 20-30-foot glass marquees, to be located at the east and west entrances to the main lobby. The glass marquees, designed by internationally-known British glass artist Martin Donlon are valued at $150,000.

Although the arts center design and funding have been in place for quite some time, its actual construction was dependent on the city of Pleasanton acquiring the old transportation railroad corridor that runs through the center of downtown.

Alameda County bought the corridor from Southern Pacific in 1989 and only recently agreed to sell the property to Pleasanton for $7.5 million.