Rumors have been flying for months about plans to turn the old Providence Police Station, constructed during the FDR administration in the '40s, into an upscale hotel or apartment building. As the police move into new headquarters across Interstate 95, though, the exact plans for the old one remain unclear.

Helming the redesign scheme, whatever it might be, is controversial developer Vincent J. Mesolella Jr., perhaps best known for having drained the Pascoag Reservoir during a 1998 dispute with the state.

Mesolella's company, REI Associates, put in a successful bid with the City of Providence to build the new public safety complex. As part of the deal, REI gets to redevelop the old building. Initially, REI planned to tear down the station and put a 300-plus-room Embassy Suites on the site, but the plan was scrapped because of a controversy involving a desired multi-million dollar loan from the state.

The Providence Business News recently reported that Mesolella has a new scheme: to convert the old station into condos or apartments, renting monthly for $2000 for lofts to $4000 for penthouse units. Whether anyone would be willing to pay such ludicrous rents is one question. But since this plan would work with the old building rather than knocking it down, it might be able to take advantage of Rhode Island's 30 percent tax break for renovations of historic sites.

As for the police themselves, they couldn't wait to get out of their former home. "The faster it goes, the better it will be for all involved," says Police Chief Richard T. Sullivan. The old HQ might make a gorgeous apartment building, but it's not the most functional place for a police department. Offices that ought to be next to each other are on different floors, and bulletproof glass obscures hearing. The halls give the whole place a hive-like feel, making security less than perfect -- I got lost and wandered the building without being stopped. The new station, by contrast, will be better organized, with offices centralized to benefit both cops and civilians (keeping out disoriented interlopers like myself).

The Boston architecture firm of Jung/Brannen, which designed the new police station, is involved with plans for the old one. "We've done designs for big buildings, little buildings, redoing the current building -- there are a lot of options," says architect Duncan Pendlebury. He says he's now waiting on Mesolella's final decision.

Issue Date: August 2 - 8, 2002