Ceremonial ground breaking for new Fire Station 6 in Menlo Park

A ceremonial ground breaking for the new fire station at 700 Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park took place today, attended by city officials, council members and fire district personnel.

The old Fire Station 6 was opened in 1953, two years after a new main fire station was opened in 1951 next door to Saint Patricks’ Seminary on Middlefield Road. The original main fire station, built in 1920, was located near downtown Menlo Park where Café Borrone and Kepler’s currently are in the Menlo Center.

The Station 6 site was supposed to be the location of the main fire station, but its size was opposed by neighbors, so a smaller station was built in 1956 and additional land was sold off.

In December, 2016, the old fire station was torn down, paving the way for today’s event. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

Station 6 is the second busiest fire station in the District, it responded to 1,269 emergencies in 2016 and provides emergency services to portions of Atherton and Menlo Park, including downtown.

Photos by Robb Most; top – various officials sharing the groundbreaking duties; second – City Council member Peter Ohtaki talks to Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman