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Burning Enthusiasm

STAFF/CLIFF MCBRIDE

Dominique Martinez, bought the former fire station at 1910 N. Florida from the city. He plans to clean rehabilitate it to how it originally looked in 1925 and live in the building and have a gallery there.

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2008

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TAMPA HEIGHTS - Dominique Martinez lives with passion and dreams.

His latest is to turn an abandoned, 1925 fire station into his home and an art gallery.

Since he purchased Fire Station No. 5 from the city last year for $365,000, he has torn down dividing walls, sheet rock and drop ceilings. Today, both floors are unobstructed. Natural light seeps in through cracks and an entryway on the second floor.

"This is a hell of a building just the way it was built," said Martinez, founder and owner of Rustic Steel Creations in the Channel District.

It has 18-inch-thick walks, concrete floors and sturdy lumber, he said.

Martinez has hired an architect and is researching the fire station, such as its original colors. He met with firefighters who worked there to learn more about the building. It was last used as a fire station in 1984 and was used by other organizations for short periods since.

His goal is to return the building, 1910 N. Florida Ave., as close as possible to its original design. He wants to add sliding doors, swing doors, a flagpole and lighting to imitate the original design. The city has to approve his design plans.

"It is going to be a wow factor to the city of Tampa," Martinez said. "It is going to be something the city is going to be proud of."

When the city asked for redevelopment proposals in 2005, Martinez jumped at the opportunity.

The other finalists included a plan to open a French consulate and an Italian restaurant, as well as a proposal for loft apartments on the second floor and retail stores on the first.

Martinez thought it would be cool to live in a former fire station with a five-story lookout tower where it's possible to see the St. Petersburg skyline, Raymond James Stadium and Tampa International Airport.

"It is not your typical address," said Martinez, who had a dream before the city selected him that he had been awarded the property and was running around inside it.

Martinez, a native of France, doesn't do things in an orthodox style. He moved to the Channel District in 1997 before it was fashionable.

He left a career in marketing, promotion and sales to pursue a passion for turning metal into art. He started Rustic Steel in the Channel District in 2003. He and 11 employees make custom gates, railings, furniture, mirrors and outdoor public sculptures, including giant dragons.

Martinez hopes to complete rehabilitating the fire station and move into the 6,500-square-foot building in January 2009. He said he has interviewed several people interested in opening a gallery, which would take up about 2,500 square feet on the first floor.

"What I do with this building is a reflection of Tampa," Martinez said.

When it is complete, Martinez said he will occasionally open his home for tours.

"I don't want it sealed off to the general public," he said. "This is history. This is Tampa's history, not my history."

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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