One last concert for Redmond's Old Fire House, before it all comes down

After decades of hosting all-ages concerts and after school programs in Redmond, the Old Fire House Teen Center is slated to be demolished — but not before Fire House alumni come together for one last show.

The 74 year-old building, which also served as city hall, a YMCA, and a fire and police station, became an artistic refuge for teens passionate about music when the center opened in 1992. Over the years, the Old Fire House hosted performances from bands like Modest Mouse, Bikini Kill, The Blood Brothers, and Elliot Smith.

RELATED: Sugar, we're going down to emo night. Why the genre’s thriving in Seattle and beyond

As a teenager growing up on the Eastside during the late 1990s, musician Tomo Nakayama would go to play his acoustic guitar at open mics. Nakayama says at the Fire House, teens were empowered.

"The DIY movement was really big at the time," Nakayama said. "So, we kinda learned how to do all these aspects of being in the music industry, like promoting our shows and creating posters, and networking with other bands."

Many of the teens that spent their time after school and on the weekends writing music, performing, and practicing went on to have careers not just as musicians, but as tour managers and sound engineers, according to Nakayama.

RELATED: Have full-album concerts gone too far?

Nakayama will reunite and perform with some of his friends during a celebration of the Old Fire House's legacy on Saturday, April 4. The event will feature live music from artists representing "all eras of the Old Fire House's music scene", and a special jam tent will be set up for musicians to pop in and play, according to the city of Redmond.

The Redmond City Council voted 6-0 last year to rebuild a new teen center at the same location of the Old Fire House, which was deteriorating. The decision came after months of discussions with teens, many of whom were advocating to save the original building.

"The building itself holds a lot of memories, but it's more the people that we met and the collective spirit of the thing we built together," Nakayama said. "I think that is gonna continue to live on in the next iteration of the Old Fire House."

Estimates from a consulting firm estimated it would cost the city about $9 million to renovate the Old Fire House, and more to construct a new building.