Update on Tulsa's old fire alarm building

The Tulsa Fire alarm building helped save lives as the dispatch center for the fire department. In its new life as headquarters for the Lung Association, it could help provide life saving information

Tuesday, June 7th 2005, 2:23 pm

By: News On 6

The Tulsa Fire alarm building helped save lives as the dispatch center for the fire department. In its new life as headquarters for the Lung Association, it could help provide life saving information to those with asthma and lung disease.

News on 6's Rick Wells took a look around the renovation project at 1010 East 8th and has an update. As you drive north on US Highway 75, just east of downtown you may have seen the odd looking yellow brick building and wondered what's happening with it or if you prefer, what's the deal with it. "This room we're restoring to open to the public, 'cause it is an historical building." That's Kay Todd; she's the CEO of the American Lung Association of Oklahoma. They own the building now.

It's the old Tulsa Fire alarm building and it'll be headquarters for the Lung Association. "We're showing how you can retrofit a building that has been open to the elements and make it the best air quality possible."

It was built in 1931 and from then until the late seventies it was the central dispatch point for all Tulsa Fire stations, but from the mid 80's until just recently it was vacant, vandalized by people and Mother Nature it was in pretty bad shape. "The project is around $2-million to restore the building."

A crew is completely re-mortaring all the brick and terra-cota work on the outside. There was extensive mold, asbestos and lead paint that had to be removed on the inside. When they're done this upstairs will house a Lung Education and Research Center. The downstairs which had to be re-enforced and water proofed, will house the Associationâ€™s offices. With the entire project to be an example to others. "We wanted builders, lay people, architects, all to be able to see what we did in this building and techniques they can use to make better buildings for everybody."

The project is set for completion by mid-December. If you'd like more information on the project The American Lung Association of Oklahoma has the information on that on its web site.