Second Beacon Firehouse to be Sold

Buyer plans to convert station into residence
The Beacon City Council is expected to vote on Monday (Dec. 15) to authorize the sale of the former Beacon Engine Co. fire station on East Main Street, the second of two surplus stations to be sold by the city.
The contract should be signed in the next week, said City Attorney Nick Ward-Willis. As was the case with the sale in June of the former Mase Hook & Ladder station at 425 Main St., city officials said they would not reveal the buyer or sale price until the contract is finalized.
"Similar to a private deal, you don't negotiate in public, especially on the financial terms," Ward-Willis told the council in May.
On Monday (Dec. 8), Ward-Willis said the buyer lives out of state in a building on the National Register of Historic Places. What attracted them to the 1889 Beacon Engine station at 57 East Main St., which is also on the National Register, "is the ability to restore this and turn it into a new use," he said.

The buyer intends to convert the 6,052-square-foot structure into a single-family home. "They're excited to move to the city," Ward-Willis said. "They have connections to the city and are ready to try to close pretty quickly on this."
A single-family home is permitted in the R1 zoning district, so Planning Board approval will not be required for the conversion. However, the building is in Beacon's protected historic district, so substantial exterior changes would require a "certificate of appropriateness" from the board.
In May, a real-estate agency hired by the city listed Mase for $1.95 million and the Beacon Engine firehouse for $1.75 million. The Beacon Engine listing is still active at $1.595 million. Both properties, former headquarters for volunteer companies that served the city for more than a century, became surplus after a $14.7 million centralized fire station opened near City Hall in 2024.
The ownership of the Beacon Engine station was disputed by a group of retired volunteer firefighters who served there. The volunteers continued to use the building after the station closed in 2021 for social gatherings and to coordinate charitable campaigns. They fought eviction, arguing that - as had long been believed - the volunteer company owned the original structure, while the city owned the engine bay added in 1924.
City officials conducted a title search in 2023 that they said revealed municipal ownership of the entire site, and a state judge in July dismissed four requests from the retired volunteers, declaring the City of Beacon as the sole owner.
The council's vote on Monday will acknowledge that an ownership transfer would not negatively impact the environment and authorize City Administrator Chris White to move forward with the sale.
Mase Hook & Ladder
The former Mase station was purchased by Michael Bensimon, a Westchester County resident who owns commercial buildings at 475 Main and 508 Main. It is being converted to have a ground-level retail space occupied by Stanza Books, which is now at 508 Main St., and four apartments on the upper two floors.

Stanza has asked the Planning Board for permission to construct a partially enclosed patio as a barrier between the store and the parking lot. On nice days, a rear door will be open, and the patio will protect children who come outside, co-owner Mark Harris told the board on Tuesday (Dec. 9). A public hearing on Stanza's application will be held in January.
The Planning Board issued a certificate of appropriateness to the developer in October for minor exterior modifications, including the installation of ornamental sconces along the facade. A residential entrance will be added to the eastern side of the structure, and insulated glass doors will provide access to two of the apartments. Bensimon also plans to replace some windows and repair and/or repaint deteriorated areas of the facade, trim and door panels with matching materials.