Ottesen's restoring outside of former fire hall

Ottesen's Ace Hardware is restoring the outside of the former fire hall on Front Street to bring back its original appearance.

The fire station was completed in 1941 and was active until 1986 when the department moved into the Public Safety Building on Zimovia Highway. The building later became part of Ottesen's.

When David and Boots Roehildt bought the hardware store in 2022, the sign that said Ottesen's Inc. was removed to reveal that the original Wrangell Fire Department lettering was still visible in the stucco of the building.

But the real idea to restore the outside of the original fire hall came when the store needed a new location for freight deliveries, said Apryl Hutchinson, manager of Ottesen's.

The business is in the process of moving its stock out of its leased warehouse across the street and into the store. They realized they needed a larger door for freight deliveries, and that was when they decided to restore the look of the original fire doors.

The new doors are painted red and will open up like French doors, similar to how they did on the town's first fire hall more than a century ago.

According to the historical plaque on the Ottesen's building, the first fire hall on Front Street was constructed in 1907. In 1939, the city pursued a federal loan to build a new hall, which was completed in 1941. In 1988, that building was attached to the Ottesen's store, and the business has since occupied both buildings.

Hutchinson also said they are planning to repaint and refinish the outside of the old building along with the lettering that reads Wrangell Fire Department.

The windows on the former fire hall are temporary until permanent ones are installed. Hutchinson described it as a "draft version" of what the final look will be. She said the project timeline hasn't been determined yet.

When the project is complete, she said, they plan to hang historical photos of the former fire hall and the town in the store.