Chelsea Police Headquarters

About

Location: Chelsea, MA
Size: 32,000 sq. ft.
Status: Completed in 1999

The Chelsea Police Headquarters is built entirely within the context of the original 1897 Police Station and Trial Court. The exterior of the classical revival building was faithfully restored, and the interior was completely rebuilt and enhanced with the introduction of vaulted spaces and contemporary materials such as maple and stainless steel.

The program includes a public lobby, community room, police headquarters office, sally port, detention facility, and city dispatch center. All existing floors and interior walls were gutted and removed, except for two interior masonry bearing walls. The original foundation was fully underpinned, and the basement slab was lowered four feet. A suspended bridge above the lobby space provides a connection to second-floor break rooms and locker rooms. The basement’s detention center is connected to the first level sally port via a dedicated, secure elevator, and the double-height, barrel-vaulted lobby reinforces the monumental scale of the first level.

Photography: Richard Mandelkorn

Scope

– Feasibility Study
– Schematic Design
– Design Development
– Construction Documents
– Construction Administration