Lynch Fire Station Historic Adaptive Re-Use

Lynch, Kentucky

CMW's renovation and adaptive-reuse of the historic Lynch Fire Station was awarded the Kentucky Heritage Council's Best Adaptive Reuse Project for 2013. Funding for the project was provided by the Harlan County Fiscal Court and through the Community Development Block Grant program. The Tri-Cites of Benham, Cumberland and Lynch and their director, Bobbie Gothard, were the recipient of the 2013 Adaptive Reuse Award for the renovation of the Lynch Fire Station. A quaint little building that once housed the fire department, the building had fallen into disrepair. A quaint little building that once housed the fire department, the building had fallen into disrepair. With the help of CDBG funding and the work of CMW Architects & Engineers, the station has been restored to showcase some of its earlier features. Sitting in the heart of downtown Lynch, the fire station is a reminder of the early days of coal in the eastern part of the state. The building is constructed of native sandstone, as were most of the mine structures, and it was completed about 1920. The machine shop personnel served as firemen and the second story housed the plant protection forces for the mining company. The building currently houses an antique shop. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is located adjacent to Portal 31 mine.