Old Pasadena’s Fire Station 31 Re-Opens After $2 Million Seismic Retrofitting

The Pasadena Fire Department celebrated the grand re-opening of Station 31 Thursday after completing a much-needed $2 million seismic retrofitting and tenant improvements. 

Station 31 is one of the most active fire stations in the city. It is located at 135 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Old Pasadena. 

The station underwent seismic retrofit construction to enhance its structural stability and resilience to earthquakes. In addition to the seismic retrofitting, the station also received tenant improvements, which included upgrades to the apparatus bay, interior spaces and facilities.

During the construction period, Fire Station 31 was temporarily relocated to a vacant lot at 95 Alessandro Place where temporary trailers were installed to ensure the fire station’s continued operations and services to the community.

The grand re-opening event marked the completion of the improvements. Station 31 is comprised of a two-story, 8,563 square-foot building and its accompanying 3,700 square-foot garage known as the WickerCraft Building.

The Station was was constructed in 1960 and required structural retrofit in accordance with building code revisions and updates adopted since the initial construction. The scope of work for the retrofit included upgrading the lateral force resisting systems and connections to the roof and floor structures, as well as retrofitting foundation elements so new steel moment frames could be installed.

Tenant improvements for the station included architectural renovations to the kitchen, living room, restrooms, offices, and dorms. The scope of work included flooring replacement, replacement of ceiling tiles, lighting, furniture, appliances and cabinetry; removal of office partition walls; new paint, re-roofing, new HVAC equipment, and minor electrical improvements.