History

The groundbreaking for the complex took place in June 2000. Former Mayor Vincent Cianci Jr. officially dedicated it on April 12, 2002. It was completed on time and under budget. It cost $43 million dollars and offered the Providence Police, fire department, and municipal court a new state of the art home. At the dedication, acting Police Chief Richard Sullivan said that the building was the most technologically advanced public safety facility in New England. The Police moved from an overcrowded, inadequate building in downtown Providence that was built in 1940. Mayor Cianci had called for a new complex as part of his vision as Providence the American "City of Lights." It was built using a design-build team of lead contractor O. Ahlburg & Sons Inc. and lead architect Jung/Brannen Associates, Inc. The building has won prestigious awards, including the 2002 Design-Build Institute of America's National Design-Build Award in the category of design-build developer.