More than 20 years after responding to its last call, Westmount's Fire Station No. 2 is poised for rebirth, this time as an exclusive condominium project.

The tan brick firehouse at the corner of The Boulevard and Victoria Ave. was idled in a cost-saving push by Westmount in 1982. Ever since, developers have been tantalized by the building's potential, only to be frustrated by either economics or Westmount's stringent regulatory environment.

Axxys Group, a commercial and industrial construction company that has done some residential building, has agreed to pay $800,000 for the fire hall with plans to convert it into three condominiums each priced between $1.6 million and $1.75 million. The sticker price includes all appliances and the best finishes.

Westmount's urban planning office is receptive to Axxys' vision, though several issues must be resolved before the sale is finalized, said urban planner Johanne Poirier. The borough has allowed Axxys to post a sign on the site trumpeting the redevelopment.

Under Axxys' plan, residents will feel like the owners of single-family homes, said Yohan Ohayon, the company's president. The builder plans to divide the fire hall into a trio of three-storey units, with separate entrances, parking garages and roof-top terraces. There will be no common spaces.

"Because there won't be any common spaces, the condo fees will be minimal, basically enough to cover landscaping and gardening," Ohayon said.

Axxys is working closely with Poirier's office to fine tune the concept.

"Working together, we've come up with a project that will be good for the city and, we hope, good for the other residents of the area," Ohayon said.

The building lends itself easily to subdivision and is structurally solid, with 12- to 14-inch concrete slab floors. The main level of each unit will have 17-foot ceilings, with a mezzanine. The second floor will have a 13-foot clearance. Each condo will have three bedrooms and a 1,000-square-foot roof-top terrace with views of either the city and river or the mountain and St. Joseph's Oratory. The two sides are still discussing Axxys plan to erect four-season solariums on the roof. The building's ground floor, once a stable, will be converted into individual two-car garages with mud rooms and laundries.

The architectural firm of Architem Wolff Shapiro Kuskow-ski is on the case. This is the three-woman firm's second go-round with Fire Station No. 2. A plan to convert the building in the early 1990s failed because of the then tough economic environment for high-end homes.

"We're having a lot of fun," said Elizabeth Shapiro, the project's lead architect. "We love the building and really hope that this time the timing is right."

Care is being taken to preserve the building's architectural integrity, she added. The iron staircase that winds through the east tower will be incorporated into the new design. The Victoria St. facade will see its garage doors replaced with an arrangement of doors and windows mimicking the hinged stable doors that existed when the building was erected 92 years ago. The architects plan to add oversized windows to the southern facade, to exploit the site's commanding views of the city and river.

Royal LePage agent Marie-Yvonne Paint is handling sales for the project. Ohayon said interest is keen among a broad cross section of buyers, from couples with young children to empty-nesters looking for a unique property.

He admits that the market for high-end homes remains slow, but with only three units, the risk is manageable.

"New construction is rare in Westmount. Opportunities like this don't come around too often."