Westside resident Sharon McDonough, 79, remembers the old Indianapolis Fire Station 18 in its prime.
The little brick-colored building at the intersection of North Tibbs Avenue and West Washington Street, on the outskirts of the former Central State Hospital, stood out among trees and the hospital’s large, multi-story buildings.
The station was built in 1936 to replace the 40-year-old former Station 18, located at 1915 W. Washington St. Its central location made it a common sight on many commutes.
“Early on in my childhood, I can remember going to Eagledale to shop, and that was always the place we passed by,” McDonough said.
Later, when her firefighter husband Johnny McDonough was stationed there, she would sit with him in the station parking lot while he and the rest of his crew waited for their next call.
The fire station served Hawthorne and other nearby neighborhoods for nearly 60 years before it was retired in 1994 and was itself replaced by a new IFD Fire Station 18 at 42 N. Warman Ave.
Now, more than 30 years after its closure, Indianapolis is looking to redevelop the property and is reaching out to residents to find out how they want the property to be used.
Getting public input
The Station 18 redevelopment will be a four-year process that will begin with six monthly community events, called “Pan Rattles,” a play on the firefighter phrase for cooking: “rattling the pans.”
At the first event May 31, Rokh Research & Design Studio presented early ideas for the redevelopment, such as a public rooftop, a play area and nearby parking.
“We pitched a plan that showed we have the ability to put this building back to good use, but the best way for us to do that is to make sure neighbors are involved first, not as an afterthought or as a line item on a spreadsheet,” said Rokh principal planner Danicia Malone. “What happens here should be informed specifically by them.”
The agency will spend a year gathering public suggestions to create a plan and another year refining the plan with community input. A public vote will be taken at the end of the third year to determine the final version of the plan.
“Tell us what you know and what you’d like to see, and tell us how (the station) can be of the best use to you as a neighbor,” Malone said.
What residents think
Other decommissioned fire stations throughout the city have been adapted for a variety of uses.
The old Fire House 9 and 23, at 1002 Udell St., is now the Aspire House community center and innovation hub. The Indianapolis Black Firefighters Association and Museum is located at the former Station 31 at 1201 E. 46th St. Environmental nonprofit Groundwork Indy is based out of old Station 23, at 1107 Burdsal Parkway.
McDonough thinks the old fire station building should be renovated but kept in a recognizable form.
“If they could possibly preserve it, I think that would be kind of neat,” she said. “It seems like there’s really a lot going on in that area.”
The former Central State Hospital grounds have been under redevelopment for years. Residence halls and other buildings were razed to construct hundreds of houses and apartments and the Christel House Academy West charter school. The former Central State Mansion, the hospital’s administration building, now houses apartments and the Mansion Society coffee shop.
Other developers have rehabilitated buildings for art and design businesses, like People for Urban Progress, Ignition Arts design studio and Project One Studio.
And besides the fire station, the Department of Metropolitan Development is seeking to redevelop the six-acre Central State Grove and four other properties on the former hospital grounds.
Speedway resident Anna Shei said she drives by the station to and from work most days and didn’t recognize the dilapidated building was a fire station. She wants the building to become something useful for all residents living nearby.
“I think it would be pretty interesting to have a small cafe with a bodega, or something like that, with a walk-up window,” Shei said.
Other suggestions for the property included transforming the building into a reading room, a museum of local history or a music venue.
Friends of Belmont Beach President Tedd Hardy said whatever the station is developed into should be the result of community input, not outside agencies.
“I’m sure that with this space, they don’t want anybody to feel forced to come. They want them to feel welcome, appreciated,” he said. “I see a lot of different possibilities.”
Share your input
The next Pan Rattles will be held June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27 and October 25. All will be held at the former Station 18, 3000 W. Washington St., from noon to 3 p.m.
For more information about the redevelopment process or to submit ideas, contact Rokh Research & Design Studio at info@rohk.co.
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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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