On November 20, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the city's Department of Design and Construction (DDC) officially opened the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)-designed 40th Precinct headquarters in the Bronx. The 45,000-square-foot building, located at 567 East 149th Street, is a striking addition to the Melrose neighborhood. But more than just an aesthetic upgrade, the new precinct aims to create greater cohesion between the police and the community while providing officers with a state-of-the-art home.
The $85-million project originated in 2014, when then-mayor Bill de Blasio earmarked nearly $70 million to replace the 40th’s 10,000-square-foot headquarters, built in 1923. Construction began in 2018, and it went online on November 18. The completed building includes administrative functions, training and physical fitness areas, storage for equipment and vehicles, and emergency response equipment like fuel tanks and generators. A green roof and high-efficiency fixtures and systems help to lessen the building’s environmental impact as it strives for LEED Gold certification. Elsewhere on the site, the DDC regraded and restored a portion of the block that was once a tow pound, adding trees and other greenery.
The new station house is at East 149th and St. Ann’s Avenue in the Melrose section of the Bronx. Photo courtesy New York City Department of Design and Construction
What makes the building unique, though, is the dedicated community room on the ground level. It’s the first precinct in the city to have such a space. “[This addition] reflects our commitment to creating spaces that will strengthen relationships between our police officers and community members,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “I hope this important project will serve as a blueprint for construction on other police precincts in our city.”
The precinct’s functions are organized vertically in a series of stacked volumes oriented around a central atrium. This spatial dynamic allows for programmatic organization and circulation, creating an urban plan inside the building—what BIG calls “precincts within a precinct.” Its system of separation and setbacks gives the building a stack-of-boxes look, which the architects and NYPD hope makes it more welcoming resource than foreboding fortress. (Public art on the perimeter fence also helps.)
The exterior is clad with sandblasted, precast concrete panels; polished concrete and reflective materials were used for setbacks. The community center is further set apart thanks to small circular perforations on its facade. A similar treatment is found in the metal used to conceal some equipment areas, replacing glass and permitting airflow.
“What we tried to create together with the NYPD and the DDC is a precinct in this kind of porous constellation of rooms stacked upon each other, moved apart, to make it open and inviting,” BIG founder Bjarke Ingels said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “I hope this structure will contribute to making the 40th Precinct safer and a more welcoming neighborhood for the community and the men and women that keep it safe.”
Time will tell if the building achieves its lofty goals. But one thing is certain: there is no other police precinct like this one in New York City.
