On the Market: A Renovated Fire Station in Provincetown
This West End home—with a unique front porch, fenced-in patio, and water views—was previously a fire station on Commercial Street.
Photos by Mary Prince
117 Commercial St., Provincetown
Price: $2,750,000
Size: 1,360 square feet
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 3
Even in a housing market as red hot as Massachusetts’, this Provincetown home is a fiery deal. Located in the West End of the famed beachside community, this antique home places you steps away from the beaches of P-Town, while its upper two levels provide glimpses of the harbor when you’re inside. Outside, you get a front row seat to the comings and goings of the neighborhood thanks to the distinctive front porch, which is tucked back into the white clapboard house, creating a little nook where you’re privy to a view of the street thanks to a garage-style door facing outwards. Seem a little unusual for a “front porch?” Look up and find the explanation in the sign hanging above the entrance.
What’s now the front porch of this home once served as the home of the Franklin Engine, the main mode of transit and fire-fighting tool of Provincetown’s Engine Co. 1 (the sign for the fire company is still hanging on the front of the house). The building first served as the fire house of P-Town back when it was first built in the 1800s. Per the town-run Provincetown History Project, the station was one of five in town at the time, all built in a similar style and part of an effort to expand P-Town’s Fire Department. In 1993, the Fire Department suspended operations in almost all the original stations and 117 Commercial Street became the single-family home it is today.
Once housing some of the town’s best firefighters, the home, still known as “the Fire House,” instead provides a charming seaside escape with three levels of living space. The home opens on the first level to a den with a full bathroom and access to a fenced-in patio outside. On the second level, you’ll find a large living room, a full bathroom, a chef’s sized kitchen, a breakfast bar, and space for a dining room that can sit up to eight people. On the next floor up is the primary bedroom suite with a separate bedroom and office area as well as a tiled bathroom. Throughout the home, you’ll find wood floors and bead boards, topped off with a cupola sitting on the roof. All this was originally built for $1,200 back in the day, according to town records, but thanks to all the upgrades (and perhaps a dash of inflation), this piece of Provincetown history can be yours for only $2.75 million.
For more information, contact Mike Minore, Coldwell Banker Pat Shultz Real Estate, coldwellbanker.com.
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
Photos by Mary Prince
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