Prosper Portland is asking for help as it seeks to redevelop a fire station built in 1913.

The agency sees the 6,692-square-foot building at the foot of the Steel Bridge as a future home for creative offices. But the unreinforced masonry structure has deteriorated badly and is uninhabitable.

Prosper Portland has issued two requests for proposals: one for a historic preservation and tax credit consultant, and another for a general contractor to evaluate the scope of work needed. A pre-project meeting, including a tour of the building, is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m.

“We’re hoping we have interest from contractors to participate in this project,” Prosper Portland spokesman Shawn Uhlman said.

The RFP for a historic preservation and tax credit consultant closes Sept. 26. The RFP for a general contractor closes Oct. 10.

Lift Development was selected as development partner after a 2015 request for interest, and the firm remains on board.

Any rehabilitation of the 104-year-old building would be substantial. The firehouse has large cracks, deteriorated mortar, missing and broken bricks, spalled concrete and water damage, according to a Prosper Portland staff report.

The firehouse is built atop unstable soil that is prone to liquefaction in an earthquake.

In 1987, Prosper Portland, then known as the Portland Development Commission, acquired the property at 510 N.W. Third Ave. as part of the Union Station acquisition. The parcel is bounded by Glisan Street, Third Avenue, railroad tracks and Naito Parkway.

To further complicate matters, two fires have occurred in the building this summer; one was sparked and quickly extinguished Thursday. But with a thorough renovation planned, interior fire damage is a minor concern.

“It doesn’t sound like there was significant additional damage,” Prosper Portland senior project manager Eric Jacobson said.

“There’s very little inside that could be used,” he added.

Investigators after the fire last week found evidence of habitation, Jacobson said. That suggests someone had been squatting in the condemned building.

The building was secured against intrusion, Uhlman said.

“It wasn’t like the building was open,” he said. “If anyone got in, they forced their way in.”

The agency will work to make the building more secure, Uhlman said.

Despite many challenges, Prosper Portland officials continue to believe the building is worth saving.

“It’s a local historic landmark, and as owners of that building, we feel in order to be good stewards of it, we should make a good effort to renovate the building and put it into productive use,” Jacobson said.

Prosper Portland plans to turn the building into creative offices. Portland has had one of the nation’s hottest office markets this year.

“We feel there is a path to success,” Jacobson said. “It’s long and complicated and expensive.”

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The Portland Development Commission and Lift Development are working to rehabilitate a rapidly deteriorating 104-year-old former fire station in Old Town Chinatown into a creative-office building.

Lift Development principal Rahim Abbasi was selected as development partner after a 2015 request for interest. Now, the PDC is preparing to issue a request for proposals for a construction manager-general contractor to grapple with unstable soils and the crumbling brick building.

The project is an extensive renovation of the two-story, 6,692-square-foot firehouse built in 1913 at the western end of the Steel Bridge. The building at Northwest Third Avenue and Glisan Street served as Portland Fire Department’s Engine House No. 2.

The PDC acquired the property in 1987 as part of the Union Station acquisition. The 0.77-acre parcel at 510 N.W. Third Ave. is bounded by Glisan Street, Third Avenue, railroad tracks and Naito Parkway.

The PDC’s selection of a CM-GC will be exempt from the regular low-bid process because of the expertise required for the project, according to agency staff. A public hearing on designating the project as exempt from state low-bid rules drew no attendees and no written comments.

PDC Chairman Tom Kelly said the exemption from low-bid selection makes sense for the project.

“This is the best example of why this shouldn’t be low bid that I’ve ever seen,” he said.

The PDC board, acting as the local contract review board, on Wednesday unanimously approved the project’s exemption from low-bid rules.

Kelly said the building is “one of the coolest unrenovated buildings in the city.”

“I hope we can save it,” he said.

The building most recently was used for offices, but has sat unoccupied since 2009, said Eric Jacobson, senior project manager for the PDC.

The building is in need of seismic, structural, roofing, masonry, electrical, plumbing and other repairs, according to the agency.

The property is “generally in poor condition, including large settlement cracks, deterioration of mortar, missing/broken bricks, spalled concrete and water damage,” according to a PDC staff report. The building also sits on top of fill that is vulnerable to liquefaction during an earthquake.

Lift Development and the PDC plan to pursue a National Register of Historic Places listing to be able to use historic tax credits, along with a PDC expenditure to be determined, to finance the project.

If the project proves to be financially feasible, the PDC would seek to sell the property, most likely to Lift Development and an investor. The ownership entity would be required to keep the property for at least five years.

Abbasi could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Lift Development has expressed interest in occupying a portion of the building, Jacobson said. The creative office space could be shared or used by an owner-occupier.

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