T-R FILE PHOTO The former Marshalltown fire station at 109 S. First Ave.

The old Marshalltown fire station at 109 S. First Ave. will go up for auction at 11 a.m. on March 28. 

“The city thought it would be the fairest way to find a buyer without stepping on the toes of businessmen. Everybody has a fair chance to get it,” said Fred Van Metre, of Van Metre and Associates, who will be conducting the auction. “There are some neighboring businesses that may have some interest in buying it.” 

The iconic brass poles fireman used to slide down won’t be included in the sale, and are being kept by the Marshalltown Fire Department. The boiler and generator will also be removed and kept by the city.

The Marshalltown City Council voted to put the firehouse up for auction and set a reserve price of $80,000.

“That will be the minimum bid,” Van Metre said. “The $80,000 minimum is really, really fair.”

The building is expected to sell above the $80,000 minimum. 

The sale includes a small portion of the adjacent lot where a sign shop is located.

“We’re selling it as is,” Van Metre said. 

The building does have a little damage including a large crack on the building’s east wall that lets in rainwater, which is “minor structural repair,” Van Metre said. 

There are a variety of different buyers which could make the building potentially a restaurant or apartments. 

“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens,” Van Metre said. 

The old fire station has been vacant since the Marshalltown Police and Fire building opened in August 2019. 

“A public auction is a good, fair way to put her on the market,” Van Metre said. “Hopefully someone buys it and keeps it and fixes it all up.”

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Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com