While it may not ever return to use as a fully functioning firehouse, the People's Firehouse on Berry Street in Williamsburg will soon be the next best thing. The two community groups that currently own the historic building have be begun raising funds to convert it into a fully functioning community facility, and they need the help of the entire neighborhood.

The People's Firehouse, formerly the home of Engine Company 212, was the focus of a community uprising in the 1970s. When citywide budget cuts necessitated the closure of the firehouse, Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents occupied the firehouse for the better part of a year, at which point the city gave in and kept the firehouse open until 2003. Although it eventually closed, it was sold for $1 to People's Firehouse Inc. (PFI) and Neighbors Allied For Good Growth (NAG), with the intention that it would be converted into some kind of facility benefiting the public.

After using the firehouse as a makeshift community center and offices, PFI and NAG have kicked off their fundraising initiative and have commissioned preliminary designs for the facility. Announcing their plans before Monday's meeting of Community Board 1, the groups put forth a plea for funding and support for the new People's Firehouse.

In addition to serving as a tribute to the civic efforts of North Brooklyn residents during the building's occupation, the new People's Firehouse, which will be known as the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center, will feature a first-floor community facility that will be used as an exhibit space for local artists and groups.

Northside Town Hall will also house the permanent offices of PFI and NAG, with other offices made available to other community organizations. The new facility will also house a tribute to the community uprising that put the firehouse on the map.

"We want the winning-est battle against municipal cutbacks in the nation to be memorialized," said PFI's Felice Kirby.

As part of the design and planning process, PFI and NAG will also create an advisory board of community-based arts and cultural organization that will guide the programming of the facility and reach out to the global arts community in addition to creating a network of North Brooklyn artists.

"We want to make the space flexible to accommodate a variety of programming," said Kirby.

While the final designs and programming for the facility have yet to be determined, what is certain is that the project will require a hefty amount of funding. At their presentation to Community Board 1, Kirby and other members of PFI and NAG announced that they would be raising funds to the tune of $2 million, and would be relying heavily on an intense fundraising initiative that will solicit money from the people of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, who will be served by the completed Northside Town Hall.

The groups have already secured $100,000 for the project through private grants from local businesses CitiStorage and the Brooklyn Brewery, and as budgets at the federal, state, city, and borough levels are finalized, Kirby said that she was hopeful local representatives would be able to come through with funding that they had promised for the project.

As part of their efforts to seek funding from the community itself, NAG and PFI will be holding art auctions and raffles at the firehouse, the profits of which will go towards the new facility. The groups also announced that they will have a large presence at several community functions, like Williamsburg Walks and community concerts, as they seek small donations from regular residents.

"This project is an opportunity to continue the excellent work that non-profits in the area are doing," said Kirby.