A former fire station in Downtown Maynard is set to become an antique automobile museum, following a municipal request for proposals process, resulting in the sale of the property to a developer.
MacDonald Development of Maynard purchased the former firehouse at 1 Summer St. for $100,001 in a deal finalized on Thursday, according to Middlesex South Registry of Deeds records.
The purchase comes after a September decision to issue a letter of award to MacDonald following an RFP process, as Maynard voters approved the disposition of the Town-owned property during its annual town meeting in 2023, according to the town’s website.
MacDonald says turning the property into an antique automobile museum will have a positive impact on the downtown area, according to the documents submitted as part of the bid. In addition to the museum, eight residential units are planned for the building’s second floor. A rendering included in bid documents show plans call for the building’s exterior to remain mostly as it is, with the building’s garage doors being utilized by the museum.
MacDonald Development is led by James MacDonald, a developer who owns several residential and mixed-use properties in town. MacDonald-owned properties include a 24-unit building at 42 Summer St. and a 29-unit, mixed-use building at 10 Main St., according to submitted bid documents.
MacDonald’s bid of $100,001 was under the established minimum sale price of $265,000. The Town received only one other bid, one from Westford-based Industrial Rents LLC totaling $270,000, but that bid did not include all the required documents or Industrial Rent’s plans for the parcel, according to a document on Maynard’s website.
The brick fire station is just over 9,000 square feet and was constructed in 1955, according to Town of Maynard property records. The property was given a tax assessment value of $1.33 million for 2025.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
