Upper Arlington's oldest municipal building is about to undergo the biggest transformation of its nearly century-long life. City officials have laid out plans to renovate and expand Fire Station 71, the 1930 structure at 2095 Arlington Avenue that has housed the city's fire operations for almost 100 years, with construction estimated to cost between $10 million and $14.5 million.
The project will preserve the historic facade while gutting the interior entirely, according to a listing on Govly. Plans call for a new two-vehicle apparatus bay, expanded living quarters with nine individual sleeping rooms, administrative offices, a fitness room, and a basement storm shelter, all designed to bring the aging facility up to current NFPA 1550 and 1585 standards, ADA accessibility requirements, and modern energy efficiency guidelines. The city first announced its intent to renovate and expand the station in a Facebook post from the City of Upper Arlington, Ohio - Government page, describing the project as one that will create a safer, more modern facility for today's fire division while preserving the character of the historic building.
A Civic Landmark With Deep Roots
Fire Station 71 opened on December 1, 1930, as Upper Arlington's very first municipal building, originally housing both city hall and fire operations before administrative offices moved to the Municipal Services Center on Tremont Road in the 1970s, according to the city's own history. Before that, Upper Arlington had contracted fire protection from Columbus and Grandview Heights, making the 1930 opening a milestone in the young suburb's development.
The building carries architectural pedigree, too. It was designed by Howard Dwight Smith, a 40-year Upper Arlington resident who served as Ohio State University's university architect and also designed Ohio Stadium, Jones Middle School, and Barrington Elementary School, per the Upper Arlington Historical Society. The station sits in the historic Mallway district, a commercial and civic hub laid out alongside streetcar tracks in the late 1920s that also includes the recently renovated Veterans Plaza.
Balancing Preservation With Modern Standards
A prior feasibility study determined the current building suffers from operational and space deficiencies, the sort of shortfalls that have become common in fire stations built decades before modern safety codes existed. The Upper Arlington Fire Division currently operates as a full-time department out of two facilities: Station 71 on Arlington Avenue and Station 72, its headquarters, at 3861 Reed Road, which was added in 1959 to serve growing northern neighborhoods.
City officials have set a multi-year roadmap for the overhaul. Owner's Representative and architect selection are targeted for this year, with design development and public outreach planned for 2027, construction commencement in early 2028, and completion by summer 2029, according to the City of Upper Arlington. Formal bidding for owner's representative services is set to close in September.
Keeping Emergency Crews on Duty Throughout
Construction will be executed using a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method, an approach commonly used on public safety projects to manage budget risk and complex phasing. The city intends to maintain uninterrupted emergency operations out of Station 71 throughout the phased work, per a listing on HigherGov, meaning crews will keep responding to calls in southern Upper Arlington even as the building around them is rebuilt from the inside out.
The city says it plans to share project updates as design work progresses and has indicated the renovation will include community engagement opportunities. The Upper Arlington Fire Division has seen a string of investments in recent months, including the addition of a custom Pierce Velocity aerial ladder truck and three new firefighter/paramedics sworn in last November, part of a broader pattern of modernizing the division's equipment and facilities.
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