What Comes Next for Fairlington's "Little House"? The Old Fire Station Is Up for Discussion This October
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
For years, October in Fairlington included an open house at the firehouse on South Abingdon Street. Arlington's 2013 Fairlington-Shirlington neighborhood plan describes neighbors turning out "in droves" for the event, with many coming back year after year so their children could climb aboard Engine 107. This October brings a different gathering about the same building. On Wednesday, October 14, the Fairlington Citizens Association will host County staff and County Board member Maureen Coffey to start a community engagement process on the future of former Fire Station 7. FCA's October newsletter notes that the meeting lands almost exactly eight years after the station closed.
The County's adopted capital budget includes money to decommission the building. No public document says what the building becomes after that. That leaves the question open, and October 14 is where the discussion begins.
The station at 3116 S. Abingdon St. was built in the 1940s. According to Arlington County, it was the only one-bay station in the system and the only one with the apparatus bay set above a lower level. Part of the crew's living quarters sat in that lower level. Over the decades, the engines kept getting heavier. FCA's newsletter says they roughly doubled in weight after the station was built, including about a 60% increase after a 1983 renovation.
In October 2018, an engineering evaluation questioned whether the bay floor could still hold modern apparatus with people living underneath it. The County announced a temporary relocation on October 25, 2018. Station 7's crew and equipment moved to Fire Station 4 in Clarendon on October 30. Fire Station 9 and mutual-aid stations in Alexandria and Fairfax kept covering the area.
Follow-up studies made the temporary closure permanent. Running the station safely would have meant replacing the apparatus-bay slab and its supporting walls and doing a major accessibility renovation. The elevator that renovation needed would also have required easements from neighboring properties. The early estimate was $2.5 million to $3 million. Even after all that work, the building would still hold only one emergency vehicle and would still lack room for current fire and EMS health and safety standards. The County announced the permanent closure on October 17, 2019 and said it was developing a process to decide the site's future use.
Seven years later, the October 14 meeting opens a community engagement phase of that process, which FCA says comes after several years of requests and follow-up.
The Little House was more than a station location. In a 2004 survey cited in the 2013 neighborhood plan, respondents gave mostly lukewarm answers on other topics but were "nearly unanimous," at 98%, in supporting the firehouse and wanting it to stay in Fairlington. The plan calls it "a neighborhood landmark and institution." It also points to firefighters taking part in the July 4th parade and the holiday Santa ride when duty allowed. FCA adds one more piece of history: Station 7's crew was among the responders to the attack on the Pentagon on September 11.
The attachment is still visible. This year's FCA holiday ornament shows the old station, and it sells for $20. FCA plans to sell it at community events, and reservations go to vp at fca-fairlington.org.
The decision so far appears in Arlington's adopted FY 2027–FY 2036 Capital Improvement Plan, which the County Board approved on July 21, 2026. Fire Station 7 is in a new program called Decommissioning Buildings. The adopted plan describes the program this way:
"This program will decommission vacant and underutilized County-owned buildings. Decommissioning select buildings removes them from the deferred maintenance backlog and reduces the County's long-term financial costs."
Fire Station 7 shares its FY 2027 milestone with three other County properties. The full program looks like this:
| Milestone year | Buildings scheduled |
|---|---|
| FY 2027 | Fire Station 7, Hudson Street, Culpeper House, Clarendon House |
| FY 2029 | Old Fire Station 5 |
| FY 2034 | Court Square West |
The program's total budget is $760,000: $300,000 in FY 2027, $155,000 in FY 2028 and $305,000 in FY 2034. That money covers six buildings, and the plan doesn't say how much of it goes to the Little House. Compare that with the $2.5 million to $3 million the County estimated in 2019 just to make the station usable again. The current budget line is sized to take buildings off the County's maintenance books, which is a much smaller job than restoring one. The plan also doesn't mention demolition, reuse, a sale or any other specific work at 3116 S. Abingdon St.
The County and FCA use slightly different language about where things stand. The adopted CIP lists "Decommission Fire Station 7" as a milestone for FY 2027. FCA's October newsletter says, "Earlier this year, the building was decommissioned." Neither source explains whether these describe the same step or two different ones, such as an operational change and a later capital project. That's a reasonable thing to ask County staff on October 14.
Both sources agree on the main point: nobody has decided what the building will be next. In April 2026, FCA told residents that listening sessions and possibly a town hall "may be scheduled in the coming months." At that point, the County had no CIP-funded study of the site planned. The October newsletter says FCA is welcoming County staff "after several years of requests and follow-up" to share "the next steps to determine" the station's future.
Here are the details:
If you can't attend, FCA's president's message invites residents to "join us or write to us to share your thoughts." The FCA website links to the Proposed CIP for anyone who wants to read the County's language before the meeting.
The October 14 meeting takes place at the community center that hosts most of Fairlington's fall calendar, so you may be in that building several times this month anyway.
Saturday, October 10. FCA's second Open Mic runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Performers in music, poetry and other formats can sign up, and listeners are welcome too.
Friday, October 16. Arlington County's new Family Movie Night series starts at the community center and is planned for the third Friday of every month. The lineup is posted on the County's Fairlington Community Center page. This series is separate from FCA's outdoor movie night, which was set for October 3 on the community center's grass field and canceled because of a field closure. The Sheep Detectives is still the planned movie, and a new date hasn't been announced.
Saturday, October 17. The Fairlington Pet Festival runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the community center. Since dogs aren't permitted at the farmers market except for service animals, this is the fall event to bring your dog to.
Sundays through November 22. The Fairlington Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the community center's back patio. The remaining free October extras include:
Vendors include Kuhn Orchards, Roggenart European Bakery, Baguette Republic, Fresh Off the Roast by Qualia Coffee, Cold Country Salmon, Spring Valley Farm and Orchard, J'aime Madeleine and Mama's Donut Bites. Field to Table sends a weekly e-newsletter listing what each vendor is bringing. For parking, FCA points to S. Utah St., S. 32nd Rd., Quaker Ln. and the community center lot, and asks visitors not to park in front of nearby homes.
The FCA ornament with the Little House on it was on sale at the market's FCA table on October 4. FCA plans to sell it at other community events through the year, and you can reserve one by emailing vp at fca-fairlington.org.
If you have questions about the Little House or other changes in Fairlington, I'm glad to share what I know and be clear about what's still undecided. Jennifir Birtwhistle has worked with Fairlington neighbors for years and plans to follow the old station's story as the County's process continues. Let's Connect.
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