PROVIDENCE – With the Rochambeau Fire Station no longer in use, the city Planning Department is actively seeking opinions as to its next purpose.
An open house in late September yielded a variety of ideas, but notably the largest number of participants who voted on options indicated they wanted it to remain a firehouse. About 50 people attended the open house, according to a notice posted online by the city.
According to results, 14 respondents chose “fire station” for its reuse, while 10 voted for “community center.” Nine picked “housing” and nine picked “art space.” The remainder of respondents chose options including coffee shop, roller-skate or skateboard facility, fire museum and community market.
The fire station, at 270 Rochambeau Ave., was one of two East Side fire houses that were deactivated earlier this year by Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s administration. A fire station on Humboldt Street was also deactivated, and its firefighters reassigned to other stations, but the building is still being used for fire department purposes.
Comments about the reuse of Rochambeau can be directed to the city’s Planning Department, courtesy of principal planner David Everett.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
