11/13/2010
Mimi Simon, Public Building Commission, (312) 744-9277
“We are strongly committed to building facilities, such as the 23rd District station, that will enable the men and women of the Chicago Police Department to do their jobs more efficiently and better serve our city’s residents,” said Mayor Daley at the dedication of the new station, located at 850 W. Addison Street in the Lakeview Community on the city’s north side.
The Town Hall District’s new home is a City-funded $53 million facility, the 13th new police station to be built under the Neighborhoods Alive program through the Public Building Commission of Chicago. The design for the two-story, 44,000-square-foot building is based on the City’s police station prototype, accommodates a staff of 450 over three shifts and includes the following amenities:
- A high-tech roll call room with large video screens to enhance presentations during briefing and training sessions;
- A community room, with seating capacity for over 100, to accommodate group functions such as Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meetings;
- State-of-the-art fiber optic cable network for faster, more efficient 911 communications, telephone system, computer network and cable connections;
- An employee counseling room where officers can receive counseling and relieve stress after a traumatic incident;
- Secure viewing and line-up rooms to protect crime victims and witnesses, while allowing for the identification of alleged offenders;
- Electronic security consoles in detention facility, desk sergeant’s work station and watch commander’s office positioned to monitor activity in secure and public areas, parking lots, and all access/egress points;
- A Physical fitness room for officers and other station personnel; and
- Updated and expanded locker facilities to help meet the needs of the Police Department’s changing workforce.
“As a strong steward of the public fund, the PBC uses durable construction materials and other environmentally sustainable strategies, such as a green and reflective roof to combat the urban heat island effect,” said PBC Executive Director Erin Lavin Cabonargi. “These strategies lower the station’s life cycle costs and ensure that the building will stand for decades to serve the Lakeview community.”
The station was designed to achieve a Gold level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
“We are a leader in green buildings, and that includes green police stations,” said Mayor Daley.
The new station also features a new four-story parking structure, located at 808 W. Addison Street, which serves the combined parking needs of the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Public Schools. The parking structure has two individual parking ramps and 361 parking spaces. A total of 250 spaces are dedicated for exclusive use by the Chicago Police Department, and 111 spaces will be used by the Chicago Public Schools to serve the neighboring InterAmerican School.
The parking garage elevation on Addison Street is defined by a new public art piece entitled c_i_t_y_p_o_e_m, created by Chicago-based artist Todd Palmer with selected passages from a local gay poet and choreographer Mark Turbyfill (1896-1991) spliced with the words of Katherine Dunham (1909-2006), an internationally recognized choreographer, dancer and anthropological scholar who hails from Chicago’s south side.
The east wall of the police station lobby showcases codeswitch, an additional piece by Palmer, which features the hands of diverse Chicagoans, gesturing in sign language, and representative of the human diversity of the neighborhoods served by the 23rd District Police Station.
Also included in the station are a 150-foot monopole communications tower, an outdoor electronic message board, bicycle storage areas and multiple electric car recharging ports.
