A decommissioned Akron fire station in Wallhaven could get a second life as a family-friendly gathering place, after a city council committee on Monday, Oct. 26, moved forward a plan to sell the former Fire Station No. 12 to a local couple who want to turn it into the Wallhaven Hop Shop. The buyers, Lana and Brendan Jeter, plan to convert the building at 1852 W. Market St. into a community hub, according to Akron Beacon Journal reporting on the Oct. 26 meeting of Akron City Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee.
Deputy Director of Economic Development Sean Vollman described the proposal to the committee as a family friendly community hub, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Vollman told the committee the project “will feature an in-house taproom brewing craft soda, kombucha, and nitro coffee; a bottled beverage library, a gallery for artists, co-working space and a stage for live music and community events,” according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Hop Shop would open in stages, according to documents provided to council and reported by the Akron Beacon Journal. The first phase would be a bakery and cafe offering Slavic and Eastern European baked goods, before the project expands to include beer and wine service. The longer-term vision includes immersive experiences, mini golf, family shows and group programming during the day, with concerts, comedy, art events and private rentals in the evening, all while maintaining the building’s firehouse character.
The station itself has stood in Wallhaven since 1952 and served Akron for more than 70 years before it was decommissioned and replaced, according to the city. The city put the old station up for sale about a year ago. The sale price in the proposal is $75,000, and Vollman told the committee that rehabilitating the building will cost the buyers approximately $800,000 to $1 million on top of that price, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
The agreement comes with deadlines. As a condition of the sale, the Jeters must have the project completed within two years of buying the building, and Vollman told the committee there is a clause in the contract that reverts the land back to the city if it is not developed in that time frame, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Vollman said the Jeters plan to have the space up and running in roughly a year.
The Jeters are already known to at least one council member for rehabilitation work elsewhere in Akron. Ward 8 Councilman Bruce Bolden is familiar with the couple, who have been rehabbing apartments in his ward, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. “I’ve talked with them about what they’re planning,” Bolden told the Akron Beacon Journal, “and it looks like it’s going to be a really cool place, so I’m looking forward to it.”
City Council has all but authorized the sale. On Oct. 26, the Planning and Economic Development Committee voted to place the item on council’s Nov. 2 consent agenda, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. If council approves it there, the Jeters can move ahead with the purchase and the work of turning a 1952 firehouse into Wallhaven’s next gathering spot.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY 2.0