TOWER- After years of sustained effort, it appears the Tower-Soudan Historical Society has finally raised the funding needed to complete its longstanding plans to remake the city’s historic Old Fire Hall, the oldest municipal building north of Duluth.
Two new state grants— including $290,000 from the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation and $398,250 from the Minnesota Historical Society— along with over $50,000 raised locally for the project will allow the group to complete the restoration of the facility. “The award from IRRR is awesome,” said TSHS grant writer Nancy Larson. “It’s the match we needed to qualify for the MNHS award. It just all came together.”
“The IRRR award moves us two years ahead of schedule,” she said. “It likely would have taken us at least two more years to raise the funds needed.”
“The Minnesota Historical Society saw a lot of community support coming from a small town in rural Minnesota,” said Larson, which was key to getting the full amount requested all at once.
Larson said they are planning to solicit requests for proposals for the work in January, and then start construction as soon as possible after that.
Major parts of the project to be completed include removal of the rear (south) brick wall, followed by its reconstruction with the historical features restored. The back door will be large enough to move the old Tippet steam engine, which dates back to the earliest days of the city’s fire brigade, in and out. Interior work includes a new heating system; electrical upgrades; interior wall restoration; work on the floors, door, and windows; and construction of a small rear addition to be used for storage. New restrooms are being installed using previous smaller grants from the IRRR and MNHS as well as local fundraising.
The nonprofit historical society purchased the Old Fire Hall in 2015, with hopes of preserving this piece of Tower’s history and creating a new community space. Once completed, the space will be available for possible city use, or for rental to private businesses. Larson said they already have interest from businesses looking to locate in the building. Part of the building will be used to house the Tippet, as well as for historical displays and exhibits.
The fire hall was built in 1895 and housed the city hall, jail, and fire hall. A bell tower formerly sat on the roof, which was used to warn of fires. A huge cistern in the basement held water for extinguishing fires. The building was used by the city until 1965 when it was replaced with a fire hall and civic center. After that, it was used as a community and youth center until it was sold to a private party in the 1980s. In 1990, the building was purchased by Tim Kotzian and Chuck Cathcart. The two worked to preserve the building, shoring up the foundation and repairing some brickwork, but the pair was unable to do the large scope of work required. They did get the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the building sat vacant from 2008 until it was purchased by the historical society in 2015.