COLLEGE HILL (Sydney Benter) -- Anyone can make a house a home, but the Griffith family has made a firehouse a home.The Griffiths bought the former Engine 51 building in College Hill from Cincinnati in 2009. The pair is from Indianapolis but came to the city years ago to attend UC. They stuck around and have made a home for themselves in the old firehouse. Marc is the creative mind behind the renovation that took more than two years to complete. He's got a degree in construction management and was very hands on with the project."Knowing that we're preserving a piece of Cincinnati history, I think has really driven us," says Julie. The couple has uncovered and restored the building's rich history. They've exposed original brickwork, refinished hardwood floors and repurposed old lockers. "It was a lot of nights and weekends and, I know you (Marc) had a lot of fun, but there were times when it was a labor of love," says Julie. They started the renovation in 2010 and wrapped up in 2012. Since then, many firefighters who used to call the firehouse home have stopped by to see what they've done with the place. "I think they wish they had had the kitchen or had some of the bathrooms [rather than what] they had, because it was pretty bare bones when the firefighters lived here," says Julie.Aside from the tools and equipment the firefighters left behind, the Griffiths have encorporated lots of authentic firefighter memorabilia throughout the home. It's an ode to Cincinnati firefighting history and the Griffiths say their young sons get a kick out of living there. That's why it was a bittersweet moment when the couple put the home on the market last week. They're heading back to Indianapolis to be closer to family."It is pretty heartbreaking to let it go, but we're excited that somebody else is going to get to enjoy it, and we hope that they love it as much as we have. We hope that we can find the opportunity to do something like this again in the future," says Marc.The home is listed with Huff Realty and there's an open house scheduled on March 8 from 1-3.Follow Sydney Benter on Twitter @Local12Sydney, and LIKE her on Facebook.Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!