With 18 trucks on display, new fire museum will prove to be a hot ticket

It could be considered the Lowcountry's nicest garage.

Tucked inside the new fire museum in North Charleston are all kinds of firefighting exhibits, including two that actually belch big puffs of smoke. But at its core, this building was designed to provide shelter and display space for 18 fire trucks built between 1857 and 1969.

The name is a mouthful, one that reflects the unique partnership between the city that built and owns the museum and the corporation that owns the fire trucks on display inside. Officially, it's the "North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center." Most will probably call it the fire museum.

Architect Arnie McClure of Coast Architects says the idea was to build a modern facility that would give a nod to the history of firefighting and fire stations.

"The idea was to evoke the feeling of an old firehouse," he says, adding that was a tricky thing to do since the museum covered almost 27,000 square feet — a much bigger footprint than the two- or three-bay fire stations of yesteryear (or of today, for that matter).

The exterior materials, including brick, a metal roof, wooden doors and cast stone, give it a traditional feel, and its bays also evoke Charleston's Visitor Center complex, formerly a railroad warehouse. The building is essentially two rectangles: a smaller entrance hall, and a much larger space for the exhibits and trucks.

There's an attractive space for school children to get off their buses and queue up. McClure says firefighters across the Lowcountry helped provide input on the design, including the six words carved into the cast stone columns: "Courage, Valor, Protect, Service, Honor, Loyalty."

The entrance hall can be approached from one of two directions, either from the smaller parking area and school bus drop off or from the Tanger Outlet stores side, where there's also a pavilion that can serve as an outdoor classroom.

Inside, McClure says the transition from the natural light-soaked lobby into the dark museum space was meant to induce a sense of drama. It seems to be working, according to those who have had a sneak peek.

While the building doesn't open officially until Monday, director Renee Frye says several people already have stepped inside.

"When people come in the door, they're not expecting all of this. One comment I get is how huge it is back here. Their eyes just get big."

The museum space measures 100 feet by 200 feet, and the expansive ceiling makes the room feel bigger still. The darkened walls and ceiling and the series of spotlights ensure that all eyes will be on the trucks themselves.

Another interior challenge was selecting the right fire alarm, especially because two exhibits give off smoke created by a glycol-based fluid that doesn't smell or leave any nasty residue.

"We were really concerned about the building's fire alarms going off," he says. Switching from ionized to infrared smoke detectors seems to have done the trick.

The building needed a special feature that most museums do not. Once a year, American LaFrance plans to take the entire collection outside, fill their appropriate tanks with gas, oil and water, drive them around and tune them up to ensure they remain in good working order.

That's why two bays actually have doors, and the interior space allows each piece to be driven or towed outdoors.

"It's a very sophisticated garage," McClure says.

The building cost about $4.4 million to build and about $6.6 million total. MuseumArts of Dallas designed the exhibits, and Brunson Construction Co. of Hampton built it.

The only drawback to the museum is that it — along with the massive Tanger Outlet stores nearby — lies just beyond the main runway at the Charleston Air Force Base, right at the end of its first crash zone.

On the plus side, the city got the land for free, and the museum should prove to be a nice attraction, one that adds interest to a growing urban node. Visitors may marvel at the planes roaring overhead, and with any luck, the city will never have to send any of its own fire trucks here on business.

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St. Charleston S.C. 29403.