SR 06:079 - Laserfiche WebLink

The historic 1929 Pleasanton Firehouse is constructed of brick manufactured by the Remillard Brick Company's Pleasanton Yard. Most of the red common brick used in buildings in Alameda County from 1882 to 1935 came from the Pleasanton plant. The Firehouse is an example of an improved quality of Remillard brick, which was made by a "hand-molded, sand-struck, soft-mud process." The result of this process is a unique multihued and highly textured brick, which ranges from dark red to red-brown with visible white and gray clasts on the surface. White clasts are angular rhyolite fragments and feldspar; gray clasts are quartz and metamorphic rock fragments. Some overbums are present. Rough, gritty, varied surface textures are also present and are sometimes coated with sand grains. Irregular edges and rounded or broken comers are evident with an occasional lip present on the top edge of some bricks. The result is a tapestry of multiple colors, textures, and silhouettes. Remillard Brick Comvanv .........---~ I ,,*~l. I ...............,. -' -, ,.~IWillI'Ii"~"'>i<"";".!'.~" i,~ .~ ' .~l'. " _,'" ~'i', .. "-..< Staff and the project architect have concluded that any attempt to replicate these very unique bricks would be extremely expensive and could ultimately be aesthetically unsuccessful. Adavtive Reuse - 1969 In 1969 the Firehouse was extensively remodeled at a cost of$243,OOO. Additional engine bays, sleeping quarters, administrative offices, dispatch stations, and a kitchen were added to the building. The exterior treatment included all brick surfaces of a modem, uniform, red, smooth- surfaced brick type that does not match the original Remillard bricks of the 1929 building. The 1969 additions also enveloped the historic building, obscuring large portions of it. In researching the project, staff discovered a completed survey form that is likely is an official determination of actual historic status of the Firehouse entitled "H-O District Survey Form OSS-7: FIRE STATION #1 (preparation date undetermined) states: . . . Although additions and alterations are extensive to the original fabric of the Fire Station, its two-story elevation with tower is essentially Italian Villa in style. . . Since Pleasanton 's Fire Station No. 1 has been substantially changed through enlargements to the original structure, the original architectural style has been compromised. The significance of this 1969 addition to the historic building is to be found in its history of public service. SR 06:079 Page 6 of 17