Peoria – The hardest part of any building renovation is keeping the memory of the building alive.
What originated as the first movie theatre in Old Town Peoria, Ariz. in the 1920s became the city’s first fire station in 1954. Come 2014, the Lucidi Family moved in, transforming the firehouse into a distillery serving up firehouse-themed spirits like VEntilate Vodka, Dispatch Gin, Crooked Ladder Rum and the eponymous Fire Station No. 1 Whiskey.
Chris Lucidi, owner of Lucidi Distillery and Fire Station No. 1, is also cooking up new spirits.
“[We have] 24 experimental barrels that we’re aging rye whiskey in,” said Chris Lucidi. “A little bit of wheat whiskey which is new to the market.”
Family and history are really important to Chris, that’s why he wanted to keep the soul of the original building intact.
“There’s something about a firefighter. A firefighter’s a hero,” said Chris.
From the hydrant-inspired tables to the American flag made from an actual fire hose, Fire Station No. 1 was built from the ground up all by hand by Chris and his father.
“We did that for a reason. It’s something that’ll be passed down from generation to generation,” said Chris. “It’s their building, we’re just taking care of it for a while.”
