In Burlington City, one last look at old fire hall

Hours before Burlington City's historic fire hall and emergency squad headquarters were sold, a group of first responders gathered one last time in the belly of the old brick building with the weathered steeple and wide doors that once accommodated horse-drawn fire wagons.

"It's kind of funny. . . . It's like moving out of a house where you had a lot of memories and where you met most of your friends," said David Ekelburg, who first unpacked his coat and boots at the Endeavor Fire Company and Emergency Squad hall 40 years ago when he was a volunteer.

Then, after one more look around, the friends sadly pulled a cable that rang the bell in the tower above them. "We just decided to ring it before going out that door," said Ekelburg, now chief of the squad, which moved its headquarters to Burlington Township a few years ago.

Late last month, the city and the squad sold the fire hall to investors who plan to renovate it and turn it into a gourmet pizzeria and an adjacent upscale tavern.

The price? $175,000. The squad received $105,000 for its portion and the city got $70,000 for the space it acquired when the fire company moved out and merged with another company more than a decade ago.

"Not only will this restaurant draw people here, and make the city a destination, but they will be paying taxes," said John Alexander, the city spokesman. He said officials were pleased the deteriorating building would be repurposed, possibly as soon as spring.

They also put a clause in the agreement of sale that calls for the new owners to restore the steeple and bell tower, which, according to city historians, once stood atop a headhouse in the colonial marketplace in the 1700s. It was later moved to the City Hall and then to the firehouse.

Paul Schopp, a Burlington County historian and author, said a traveling tower was unusual. "It means someone was interested in preserving the past," he said.

The wooden tower also holds a clock, which until a few years ago kept accurate time.

Ekelburg recalled how Charlie Haines, an elderly clock repairman with a tiny shop in Bristol, would stop by every two weeks, climb the rickety ladder to the top, and wind it.

Haines, a former Burlington City resident, enjoyed tending to old clocks in the area. It chimed every hour.

"He did it out of the goodness of his heart," said former Endeavor Fire Chief Ronald Devlin, who also remembered Haines.

City Administrator David Ballard said officials were concerned when an earthquake hit the area a couple of years ago and left cracks in the steeple. "I went inside it after the earthquake to see what shape it was in," he said. "Fortunately, the cracks are minor and it's not in danger of falling."

Ballard said a history of Burlington City written in 1945 by George deCou includes a 1797 lithograph of the former City Hall with the steeple. He said it was an important city landmark.

Built in 1795, the fire hall is the oldest in the city and among the oldest in the state, Ballard said. DeCou wrote that its earliest members were Quakers who established a bucket brigade. Each member was required to provide "two good leather buckets" and pay a $1 annual membership fee. Drinking alcohol was forbidden, and a morals test was given before prospective members could join.

The Smith Group, which owns and operates the Porta Pizza restaurants in Asbury Park, Jersey City, and Newark, N.J., plans to open its fourth one in the old fire hall. The restaurants are known for their unusual offerings, including pizzas topped with roasted eggs and Italian bacon, squid dishes, specialty raviolis, and lamb sausage.

"This project will jump-start the restaurant district in Burlington," said Mayor Jim Fazzone. He said the Smith Group was also discussing looking at other distressed and vacant buildings in the city to renovate and open as eateries.

Devlin, who has retired and moved out of the city, said the news of the fire hall's sale surprised him. "I'm glad to see they're doing something with that old fire hall," he said, saying he had lost touch. "There are so many abandoned and closed-up buildings, and I would hate to see the fire hall closed up, too."

When the building reopens as a dining spot, he said he planned to go back to see it and relive some memories.