Built in 1908, Fire Station #23 in Seattle’s Central District is one of earliest fire stations built in Seattle and originally housed horse drawn pumpers.
Listed since 1971 on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s use morphed into the offices of CAMP (Central Area Motivational Program) in 1968, a central district social services and anti-poverty organization.
In 2018 CAMP was renamed Byrd Barr Place in honor of Roberta Byrd Barr a leading Seattle civil rights leader, journalist, and educator. Today Byrd Barr Place provides essential needs for the local community including food, utility, and housing assistance, and financial planning services.
The renovation of the building included a major seismic retrofit, exterior masonry restoration, window restoration and replacement, the addition of an elevator, new stairs, all new mechanical and electrical systems, and a completely new redesigned and reprogrammed interior.
We are very proud to have played a part in transforming Byrd Barr Place into a new facility that will serve the community well for a long time to come. This project is a textbook example of successful adaptive reuse of a historic building. It is a community center, a grocery-concept food bank, and a hub for assistance services. All of this packaged inside a renewed vintage building that simply makes everyone who walks through its doors feel welcome and good to be there.
“Rafn’s management team was immediately supportive of the client’s mission and the preservation approach of the project, lending their feedback frequently and openly during the design process. It was a privilege to be able to draw from their experience working on previous renovations of historic and landmarked structures both before and during construction.”
Andreas Baatz
Architectural Designer
SHKS Architects