Landmark Rescued
In a word, Jim Pitcher, owner and president of Castle Rock Construction, thought “cool” best described the old Mission Revival style firehouse in Suisun City. With a very small investment, he bought the circa 1890s property, and with a not so small investment, turned it into an office, a home for him and his family, and two apartments for those lucky enough to have found the rentals first.
Originally the Armijo Club, a focal point of the community where Suisun residents gathered to socialize, it shared its surroundings with hotels, a theater and grand turn-of-the-century homes. Life after the club included a fire house with various offices. Eventually, the property fell vacant. After sitting vacant for two decades and enduring fire, rot, weather and old age, Jim Pitcher fell in love with its classic lines and bought it.
As was the building custom a century ago, the structure sat on two, massive 8-inch redwood beams and wore a coat of cedar shingles. Those gave way to a stucco on the lower level in later years. Now, Jim has clad the structure entirely in “aged” state-of-the-art, pre-colored, maintenance-free stucco; an architectural product resembling stone graces the windows, providing a most engaging and dramatic look. All the original windows have been replaced with modern aluminum-clad, wooden double-hung Andersen® Windows. Jim, in keeping with the structure’s “firehouse” past, even installed commercial grade windows that mimic the original fire engine doors.
The Castle Rock Construction office now occupies the first floor, along with a one bedroom, 900 square foot apartment. The second floor, which originally had 16+ foot ceilings, has selectively been split, creating a third floor. These floors provide two, three bedroom, two bath 1600 square foot apartments, one of which the Pitcher family calls home.
The office space has a reception area, space for secretarial and administrative functions, a conference room, kitchenette, bathroom and a defined space from which Jim runs his remodeling company.
The office suite’s floor is limestone tile; cherry-railed stairs lead to the Pitcher’s apartment. The floors throughout the structure are a combination of limestone and Honduran Cherry laminate. The kitchen counter tops are solid, mottled brown limestone, with cherry cabinets, and modern stainless steel appliances. The walls are imperfect, smooth “old world” finish with bull-nosed corners without trim.
At the conclusion of the project, the Suisun City Council presented a proclamation to Jim Pitcher for his efforts toward the re-vitalization of the city’s historic past. Councilwoman and local business owner, Jane Day, said: “Jim is an outstanding young man and we all expect further great things from him. What he created from the skeleton of the old firehouse is not just an impressive example of his craftsmanship, but a welcome addition to the community.”
