Eighty-five years ago, the firehouse on the corner of Baker and Ohio Street opened for business as Station 21. In the back was a hayloft which, while unusual for today's high-tech fire-fighting centers, was essential in the days of horse-drawn engines. You can still see the hay-hoist on the West side of the building and perhaps imagine the sound of shod hooves clicking across the bricks paving the front of the firehouse.
Inside today though, you won't see a fire-engine or hoses stretched out to drain. Instead, the front doors open to reveal Mark Sauer hard at work on a 1954 King's Cruiser, a style of boat originally built for the King of Sweden - who used it to cruise the fjords of his native land.
Sauer is a Shipwright or Master Boatbuilder who, along with his wife Nell, a fine arts photographer, purchased Station 21 in July of 1994. "We drove down Baker Street and saw the For Sale sign," Sauer said, "...the roof was leaking, windows were broken; in another five years the city would be tearing it down. So we said 'that's what we need, a turret in our lives' and now we have one."
Still, the process of acquiring a firehouse was not without its challenges. Nine months of renovation were necessary before the 5800 square foot building with two domed turrets, double-high front doors, and a commanding view of the city from its roof could be occupied.
"We did all the demolition...and filled six 20 yard dumpsters," Sauer reported, "(the building) was never used as a home before and we ended up with five pages of (building) code compliance we had to do to live in it." This included re-wiring the entire structure, putting on a new roof and using 220 twelve foot sheets of sheetrock and 120 gallons of paint. Future plans include opening up the South side windows and "turning the yard into the St. Paul version of the Walker Sculpture Garden and to create a community garden."
While the renovations on their new home might have been daunting to some, Sauer's work as a Shipwright has certainly helped prepare him for such a challenge. Having grown up around watercraft in Mississippi, Sauer re-built a boat while in college working towards a theater degree in set design. After selling that boat, "I went and found another and paid my way through college," Sauer said. A short stint as co-owner of a construction company, Sauer continued building and repairing boats on the side, eventually spending a year in formal training in Washington state.
"I kept finding old boats and fixing them up and selling them," said Sauer, " eventually I started working for clients." His work includes the design and construction of the 175 foot tall mizzen mast for the Schooner Adventuress and his current project rebuilding the Viscaya which is the sister ship to the former Presidential launch Sequoia. Much of his work is done away from the firehouse which, despite its appearance, could not hold a boat the size of the Viscaya which is 62 feet in length and has involved four thousand board feet of mahogany and over 20,000 stainless steel screws. "I can only fit certain size boats in the building," Sauer stated, " I like the limit, it keeps me humble."
While projects such as the Viscaya illustrate Sauer's skills as a Shipwright, he feels there is more to the process of building a boat than simply making it seaworthy. Patiently scrubbing oxidation from the blade of an old wooden plane and then sharpening the steel on a well-used whetstone, Sauer talked about his latest undertaking called Urban Boatbuilders.
This is recently formed non-profit group whose mission is "to connect youth in neighborhoods not adjacent to the Mississippi river with the Mississippi river through building and using wooden boats." Once the boats are constructed, the group plans to then teach marine safety, rowing and sailing skills. Working in conjunction with Mike Temali from WIND, the non-profit arm of Western Street Bank, and several other community and youth organizations, Urban Boatbuilders hope to involve both youth and minority groups in the project.
Plans to produce four boats and to complete the restoration of a river skiff used on the showboat General Newton are in place as well as funding from both the city of St. Paul and REI. The major obstacle currently facing the project is finding a location in which to build the boats. Original plans to locate and store materials in the Chautauqua tent on Raspberry Island fell through with that organization's demise.
A temporary space may now be available in the Midway area, but the group hopes to find a permanent site near the river. "Once we have a location, we'll be ready to go," said Sauer, " each group will have their own boat and they'll be able to keep it."
Sauer wiped the last plane clean and stowed it away over his workbench. After seeing the way Station 21 could be adapted from horses and fire engines to boats and a home, it seems logical to consider boatbuilding as a way to help kids in need. Sauer simply describes the effort as "a group of boat builders wanting to pass these skills on, to teach these kids to use a saw, a hammer and tape measure -- a lot of these skills are being lost... We want to get these kids out on the water and give them an option other than the mall, drugs, guns or the other things available for a fourteen year old kid," Sauer said.