BURLINGTON — The old Fire and Police Station is a liability, according to the city of Burlington.

It was built by the Volunteer Fire Department in 1954, said Mayor Ed Brunz, and not enough rebar was used. In the years since, the structure has settled, causing cracks in the hose tower, walls and foundation.

“We either need to fix it up or we need to take it down,” said Brunz, who supports demolishing the Victoria Avenue building.

Brunz will ask City Council members to weigh in at Thursday’s meeting.

Should they choose demolition, Brunz has suggested turning the site into a parking lot. Nearby business owners have been complaining that their customers cannot find parking spots on Sundays because of the three nearby churches, he said.

Saving the red international style building, which is on the Washington Heritage Register, would cost about $2 million, Brunz said.

“There is no real restriction on tearing them down,” state Architectural Historian Michael Houser said of buildings on the register.

“It is really up to local jurisdiction to value its history, but from the state perspective it is a listed resource,” he said. “It is the only ’50s fire station that is actually listed in the state, so I would say it is a pretty important resource.”

According to the city, the building would be unstable in the event of seismic activity. And though it withstood the February 2001 earthquake without any signs of new damage, the building is now largely vacant and in need of expensive repairs.

“Just about everywhere on it, there are problems,” said Brunz. “I think in order to fix it, you would almost have to completely tear it down.”

On the agenda

• What: Burlington City Council
• When: 7 p.m. Thursday
• Where: City Hall, 833 S. Spruce St.
• Issue: Mayor Ed Brunz will make his case for demolishing the old Fire and Police Station.

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