After Delays, Fenton Fire Hall Restaurant Redevelopment is on the Home Stretch

A historic fire hall that has been a Fenton landmark for 75 years is planning some fires of its own the anticipated opening of the Fenton Fire Hall Restaurant before the end of the year.

"We're on the final stretch right now,” Curt Catallo, owner of Union Joints, which also has restaurants in Clarkston and Berkley, told Michigan Live. “It’s exciting.”

The project has been besieged by delays, with the opening originally planned more than a year ago. The opening date was then pushed back to summer 2013 and then fall.

"When you repurpose or restore an old building, at a certain point the building tells you how long it's going to take to finish," Catallo said.

Union Joints was selected in 2012 for the  $1.3 million to $1.6 million redevelopment project by Fenton Downtown Development Association,

Plans for the restaurant include rooftop dining with a firepit, bar and glass roof, allowing for year-round dining. Bars will be located on both the lower and upper floors of the restaurant, which will include dining and lounging areas and outdoor patios.

Beer aficionados can look forward to about 60 brews on tap and visible through a glass window.

Each area will have  distinct vibe. The downstairs lounge will be cozy, while the rooftop will be spacious enough for receptions and other large gatherings. The main floor dining area will have an open kitchen, a main bar and bar seating at the kitchen.

Located on S. Leroy and E. Ellen streets,  the “old” fire hall went into service in 1938 when the first “old” fire hall, built in the 1875 when Fenton was still called “dibbleville,” was razed because it no longer big enough as fire trucks began to replace horses, wagons and steamers.

The new fire hall was built in 2002 when the 1938 structure began bursting at the seams

The old fire hall has been vacant for nine years,