Worcester Road Fire Station

Framingham, MA, 1969 by Hughes and MacCarthy

In the late 1960s, change was coming to Framingham Center. Improvements to Route 9 had resulted in the destruction of the Northern edge of the town’s colonial center. At the same time, the city had commissioned a three bay fire station just down the street. 

This station, designed by Hughes and MacCarthy, invokes a more traditional architectural feature in the region, an oversized Mansard roof. Below, a red brick first floor houses three bays for the trucks. Given its small site and busy roadway, the building needed to be designed for peak efficiency. Trucks can pull through to avoid backing in every time, and there are separate spaces for living quarters and training space. Since its construction, the middle bay has been notched slightly to allow for a ladder truck.