Firehouse.com

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Oct. 6--The opening of Fire Station 39 in Van Nuys in 1939 was overshadowed by a couple of other major projects that year -- Union Station and the nation's first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway. In a testament to the workmanship of the day, all three continue to serve the city 70 years later.

But the future of the city's oldest fire station is uncertain as officials look to replace the aging structure despite protests from some local residents and a desire by firefighters to stay.

While recognizing the structure's historic value, City Councilman Tony Cardenas hopes to see the station -- among the busiest in the city -- replaced in a new location.

"The building is beautiful and we will make sure it is preserved," Cardenas said. "But it's not just the station there that's too small, it's the streets and the surrounding area.

"The streets are too narrow for the large equipment we have now, and the question becomes one of public safety."

Maria Scherzer, who lives near Station 39, wants it to remain in the same spot by the Van Nuys Civic Center.

"I think it's in the ideal location," Scherzer said. "It should remain there and be the foundation and core of any expansion. Yes, we can modernize it and make it state of the art, but it should remain where it is."

The building itself is permeated by history -- and perhaps, some think, even a ghost or two.

Plaques at the station commemorate the three firefighters based there who died in the line of duty over the years, while another plaque commemorates its opening.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda, who worked in the station in 1978 as a rookie, said he became convinced ghosts of former firefighters haunted the station.

"We had an incident where a firefighter was working in a toolshed by himself," Ruda said. "Then, all of a sudden, from a second floor, some emergency service manuals were thrown down with some force. And no one was there. I'm convinced we have

Plaques honoring fallen fire fighters are on the wall outside Station 39, the oldest operational fire house in the Los Angeles Fire Department. Van Nuys, CA 10-1-2009. Photo by John McCoy/staff photographer

some ghosts in the LAFD."

Battalion Chief Jim Cairns, who is in charge of the station now, laughs off Ruda's ideas.

"I don't know of any ghosts," Cairns said. "It might be his imagination. We have a lot of tradition and history here, but no ghosts that I know of."

Cairns said he and other firefighters would like to see the facility remain open, but they recognize the need for a newer building.

"We are comfortable here," Cairns said. "We have had to make adjustments, but we manage."

The building has undergone some changes over the years, most notably for seismic safety, and seen some additions, but is pretty much as it was when it was first built.

Scherzer said she is not concerned about the historical significance of the building -- an art modern design -- or that it was built with Works Projects Administration funds.

"The point is it's in the community and should stay where it is," Scherzer said.

Lyda Mather, president of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council, said she is still studying the plans, which are in their initial phase.

"I do recognize there is a concern that this is in the core of Van Nuys and we've seen too much taken away or thrown out," Mather said. "I do think we have to do all we can to save the building itself and find some use for it. And if we can keep it as a fire station, that's all the better."

Battalion Chief Jose Cronenbold, who oversees the department's projects, said the city is still looking for a site for a potential new station.

The work will be funded from savings generated under the $538 million Proposition F bond issue approved by voters in 1998.

"We would not tear the building down," Cronenbold said. "We would turn it over to General Services and they would decide its future."

Other abandoned fire stations have found new life as restaurants, office buildings and, in Hollywood, as a home for the Los Angeles Fire Historical Society.

Cardenas expects the city to impose conditions that would prevent any changes to the building itself once it is declared surplus property.

"This is a long process," Cardenas said. "We still have to find a site and then build a new facility. All that takes time."