7th District Police Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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7th District Police Station
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 Location in Chicago metropolitan area
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| Location | 949 W. Maxwell St. Chicago, Illinois 60608 |
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| Built | 1888 |
| Architect | Edbrooke, Willoughby James; Burnham, Franklin Pierce |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000515 |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1996 |
The 7th District Police Station, also known as the Maxwell Street Station, is an important building in Chicago, Illinois. It was built in 1888. This station was needed because the area, sometimes called "Bloody Maxwell," had a lot of activity and needed more police help. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, many people moved to this neighborhood. It became home to immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe. The area grew quickly, but living conditions were tough, and there were many problems.
Building Design and History
The police station was built in the Romanesque style. This style was popular for buildings from the past. It is an important example of how police stations looked in Chicago before 1945.
Two famous architects, Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin Pierce Burnham, designed the building. Because of its special design and history, the station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. This list helps protect important places in the United States.
A New Purpose for the Building
The Chicago Police Department stopped using the station in 1998. After that, the building was carefully updated. This red brick and limestone building then became the home of the University of Illinois at Chicago Police Department.
The updates were done to keep the building's original look and feel. For example, the old windows were sent away to be fixed. The brick walls were cleaned, and the roof was replaced. Even the decorative parts at the top of the station were rebuilt using special bricks that matched the old ones perfectly.
To make the building easier for everyone to use, a new main entrance was added. This new door is at street level. It was built where vehicles used to drive in, just to the side of the original front doors.
Famous on TV
This building is well-known because it has been shown in popular TV shows. The outside of the station was used in the opening and closing scenes of the famous TV series Hill Street Blues. It also appears as the police station in the TV series Chicago PD. Another TV show, Sense8, has also used the building's exterior.
