Local elected officials broke ground on Jan. 21 for a $21.6 million fire station that will replace Catonsville Fire Station 4 and be situated on a six-acre site that previously housed a funeral home at 736 Edmondson Avenue.
The new station will expand to 25,685 square feet and feature five apparatus bays with living spaces separate from working spaces. There will be an upgraded safety alerting system and community meeting room space. The station is designed for LEED Silver Certification and will have solar panels and high-speed electric vehicle charging stations.
Built in 1928, the existing two-bay Catonsville Fire Station is short on space for equipment, offices, living quarters and parking. Its location at 756 Frederick Road is surrounded by restaurants and offices in a busy commercial area.
Officials look forward to the completion. Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement, “Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and this groundbreaking is another opportunity to invest in their safety, preparedness, and quality of life.”
Fire Chief Joseph Dixon said given the increasing frequency and complexity of calls, “the replacement of our oldest career fire station represents a critical investment in our fire and EMS crews, providing the additional space and modern facilities needed to support our lifesaving operations.”
The existing station, located less than a mile away, is to be preserved as a Baltimore County Fire Museum and feature artifacts from the 19th century. The popular Catonsville Santa House, located on the current Catonsville Fire Station site, will be maintained.
Potential developers considered several uses for the plot located between Ingleside Avenue and Winters Lane, which was previously the site of a mansion built in the 1870s and later converted to a funeral home. At the time of the razing, it was Sterling-Ashton-Schwab Funeral Home. The main building, which fell into disrepair, was razed in 2019.
After community pushback against certain development proposals, such as a church and senior housing, the county eventually purchased the land in November 2023.
The location between Ingleside Avenue and Winters Lane will provide existing two-bay Catonsville Fire Station built in 1928 is short on space for equipment, offices, living quarters and parking. Its current location at 756 Frederick Road is in a tight commercial area around restaurants and offices.
The new station will increase in size to 25,685 square feet and feature five apparatus bays with living spaces separate from working spaces. There will be an upgraded safety alerting system and community meeting room space. The station is designed for LEED Silver Certification and will have solar panels and high-speed electric vehicle charging stations.
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement, “Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and this groundbreaking is another opportunity to invest in their safety, preparedness, and quality of life.”
Fire Chief Joseph Dixon said given the increasing frequency and complexity of calls, “the replacement of our oldest career fire station represents a critical investment in our fire and EMS crews, providing the additional space and modern facilities needed to support our lifesaving operations.”
The existing station, located less than a mile away, is to be preserved as a Baltimore County Fire Museum and feature artifacts from the 19th century. The popular Catonsville Santa House, located on the current Catonsville Fire Station site, will be maintained.
Potential developers considered several uses for the Edmondson Avenue land, which was previously the site of a mansion built in the 1870s and later converted to a funeral home. The main building was razed in 2019.
After community pushback against certain development proposals, such as a church and senior housing, the county eventually purchased the land in November 2023.
