Designed by local Chicago architect Paul Gerhardt in a somewhat brutalist stone-block style and constructed for just a mere $265,000, the two-story Chicago police departments Precinct, was built in what was then a dense, aged city neighborhood on Chicago’s infamous Southside. When it officially opened April 1, 1952, the Indiana limestone-clad building featured a homicide division and detective offices, but most notably was the cell block. In later years, the precinct became the main police station to infiltrate and tackle Chicago’s notorious gangs throughout the south side. This precinct became known for being as tough as the gangsters and criminals that were jailed inside.
But after nearly 60 years in the law-and-order business, the police station was finally closed in 2012. In 2012, when then Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the always cash-strapped Chicago police department would be closing the cities precinct, it was initially met with some resistance.
The mayor quieted some of the harsh criticism by claiming that closing the precinct would save the City of Chicago, the Chicago Police Department, and the taxpayers several million dollars a year. Additionally, the closure would allow more police to be on the streets patrolling the most crime-ridden neighborhoods around the city.
Although the decision to close the police station did save Chicago money, unfortunately the crime rate skyrocketed within just a year of the precinct closing, resulting in more questions than answers. As you can see from the video, this Chicago police station was a very interesting explore. The place was loaded with criminals’ files, mugshots, crime reports, booking information, fingerprinting machine, and even most wanted posters. Finding an abandoned police station with so much stuff left inside is pretty rare to come across, so we wanted to make a video to show you all just how crazy this explore was. As we come to the conclusion, we hope that you all enjoyed this abandoned police station video.