CEDAR RAPIDS — A 101-year-old building in downtown Cedar Rapids that formerly housed the Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station has been sold to a commercial real estate company that plans to use it for offices.

GLD Commercial Real Estate Advisors will be purchasing the roughly 9,000-square-foot building at 427 First St. SE that housed the Cedar Rapids Science Station from 2000 until it was damaged by the 2008 flood.

The structure, built in 1917, served as the city’s fire department headquarters and downtown fire station, from 1918 to 1985.

The building, with brick Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

David Drown, president of GLD Commercial, said remodeling has begun on the interior of the building, which was cleaned out after the 2008 flood and has remained vacant. Drown said his agency plans to use the second floor for offices and lease the first floor to a tenant.

“We currently lease from Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust at 500 First Ave. NE,” Drown said. “With its recent acquisition of Guaranty Bank and Trust and the additional staff that it will have, the bank wants to use the floor where we are for additional bank and employee services.”

Drown said his agency wanted to stay in downtown Cedar Rapids and explored owning a building, rather than continuing to lease office space.

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“We approached the owners of the building, Duane and Anne Jasper, who also had purchased the building next door at 419 First St. SE for their business, Destinations Unlimited,” Drown said.

GLD Commercial expects to move in in mid- to late February.

Drown said about 13 people will work in the building. He believes it will be the last building along First Street SE that has been renovated since the 2008 flood.

“It’s really a neat old building,” Drown said.