Parkersburg’s former Fire Station 3 at Liberty and 13th streets has been torn down, marking the end of service for one of the city’s Depression-era firehouses. Firefighters shifted operations to a new Station 3 in the 700 block of Briant Street in May 2026 after years of planning tied to response coverage on the city’s east side.
Public information around the project indicates the move was meant to tighten response times across the coverage area. Reports cited in local coverage say the old Liberty Street location left parts of the far east side just above a commonly referenced four-minute average for fire response. By relocating the company less than a half-mile, the department can reach calls across the area in four minutes or less, according to recent reporting.
For mason contractors, the project stands out for a simple reason: city capital planning documents describe the new Briant Street facility as a masonry structure of roughly 6,000 square feet. As older civic buildings age out of service, many communities are still choosing masonry for new public safety buildings that need to be durable, secure, and built to serve for decades.
The demolition also highlights a reality that contractors see on public projects all the time. Once an essential building is vacated, it can quickly become a liability. Published accounts note the Liberty Street station experienced at least two break-ins after it was emptied. Parkersburg officials ultimately viewed keeping a vacant municipal building alongside a new, fully equipped station as an inefficient use of taxpayer resources, especially with ongoing costs like utilities and basic upkeep.
As of late July 2026, no redevelopment plan had been announced for the former Station 3 parcel. For contractors watching local work, that leaves an open question: what comes next for a cleared corner lot that used to anchor a neighborhood with a brick civic landmark.
Read the full, original article from thetraveler.org here.