The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-11
ROOMY POLICE STATION
THE @15O,OOO CITY BAsTILE RECEIv-
ING FINISHING TOUCHES.
More Space than Can BE Used-A De-
scription i'm Detail of the
New Structure.

station on South Alabama street, opposite
the county Jail. Indications are that the
building will be ready for occupancy by
March l. perhaps sooner. When completed
the building will have cost between $4,000
and $4,000. The site on which it stands cost
$4,000. The equipment of the police depart
ment with telegraph police alarm system,
having connections with one hundred call
boxes in various parts of the city, will APP
proximate $S5, 000 When completed and fur
nished and turned over to the Board of
Safety by the Board of Works, ready for
the police to move out of the present tenn
porary quarters, $4,000 will have been ex-
pended.
The building is three stories in height, oc-
cupying the space between Alabama street
and the alley to the east and the alleys on
the north and south sides. The building
is so constructed that every inch of it IS
claimed to be thoroughly lighted and venti-
lated The prison department is isolated
from the remainder Of the building, so that
there is little on the outside to suggest
penal institution save the word Police"
carved over the portal of the northern of
the three entrances. Over the south door
is the word "Dispensary.' No inscription
has yet been placed above the massive main
entrance occupying the center of the front
stone elevation. This main entrance leads
into a broad corridor, either side of
which is flight of twenty-six steps of
easy ascent leading into corridor above,
from which entrance is had to the Police
Court room, which is one of the most i'm
pressive features of the structure. The
Police Court room is two stories high to the
ceiling, ceiled in dark wood and lighted with
clrx rlforI.f af 4 ba
of the room looking out on an open court
are three huge windows high above the
bench of the police judge, itself handsome
piece of furniture. with it's platforms occu-
plying a space perhaps sixteen feet square,
made of quartered oak. The floor of the
room is tiled in white, as are the main halls
and corridors of the entire building. Half
way from the judges bench toward the en-
trance a heavy oak railing is to separate
the spectators from the court, court off,
Gals and press tables On either side of the
courtroom are corridors into which doors
open out At the east end of the court
room, to the right and left of the judges
bench, narrow doorways lead back to the
celrooms, one for men and the other for
women. BY this means comparative privacy
will be given to all police procedures, and
the only time prisoners will be exposed TO
the gaze of curiosity seekers will be when
they are brought in to answer the charges
against them. When discharged they will
walk out at the front portals; when con-
VlCIeQ, Iney Will be taken BACK TO InclI
cells, and if sentenced, carried to the
workhouse in covered patrol wagons, with
out at any time being seen by others than
police officials.
MANY ROOMS AS A HOTEL.
visitor wonders what use can be made
of all the rooms in the building. Quarters
for Police Judge Cox, Bailiff Kurtz, City
Clerk Stuckmeyer, his deputy, August
Tamm. and the turkeys and police ma
irons will be to the sides and rear of the
courtroom, leaving innumerable rooms for
Superintendent Quigley, Chief of Detectives
Colbert, with their forces, as we'll as OPP
Grating rooms for the telephone men and
bicycle corps. in addition to the stablemen
and patrol drivers. Besides the host of
rooms on the second floor, there are five
large office rooms on the north side of the
ground floor, opening off a corridor leading
from the north entrance. With the excep-
tion of door to the right of this corridor,
opening into the roll-call room, which occu-
pies the space beneath the courtroom, there
is no connection between this part of the
building and others. The roll-call room has
a large desk, mounted on platform
reached by three steps for the supeTin-
tendent and his assistants, before which the
patrolmen will line up for roll call AMI in
spection. Lockers occupy the sides OF this
room, one for each patroman in the depart
ment. Here umbrellas, street garments and
stOrmcoatS may be safely left. A little
door to the right of the superintendent
desk leads back to the stables, detention
rooms, turkeys offices, etc. The rOll-call
room is Immediately back of the main cor
ridor, and is separated from it by big oaken
doors
There are two tiers of cells at the rear of
the main building, one on the north for
women and the other for men. When it
becomes necessary for more prison room
another tier may be built above those now
in place. In the construction of the cells
what is claimed to be modern ideas of
prison architecture have been followed.
Prisoners may be locked four together into
separate cells at night In the DAY time
access will be had to the interior corridors,
which are as secure apparently as can be
devised.
A great deal of space is occupied by the
lofty wagon rooms and stable quarters
where the patrol wagons of the police de-
partment and ambulances of the Dispen-
sary Will be kept Ihe wagons 4e ms may nay DE
north of the building. When the patrol
wagon returns with prisoners they Will not
be assisted to alight until the wagon is
under cover when they will at once be hur-
ried into the detention rooms to be slated
by the turkeys, and, if they are women,
turned over to the police matron
SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBERS.
The building is to be heated with steam
and the immense boilers in the basement
will also supply hot and cold water to near
ly every room in the building, most of
which are provided with lavatories. There
is room in the long vaulted subterranean
chambers to establish an electric lighting
plant and to store away heavy artillery, If
it is ever necessary. All OF the floors in
the basement are cemented and the at
mosphere will be as dry as that of the up
per stories. Two or three "commonweaf'
armies like that General Coxey and Gen.
Allen once encamped on the White river
bottoms could be comfortably cared Tor in
these Easements. There is a tendency, how
ever, to do away with bum rooms for
the accommodation of impecunlouS way
farers not to mention tramps. There is a
large vault provided with steel door and
combination locks for the storage of Valu-
ables
Many large rooms occupy the third story
of the building. One might be used for a
drill room, another for the quartering of
some contagious disease like smallpox.
There are officers on the force now who
remember with horror the days they were
kept under strict quarantine IN the old sta
ton house. There is, however, much more
space than can be occupied at present, but
the purpose was to put up a building that
would answer all demands for a generation
or two hence The building is mostly of
brick with steel girders and hreproof ma
terial. The walls are white, most of the
rooms finished in hard wood floors and hard
pine castings.
one feature of the building is cause for
congratulation to the Board of Health,
which has long been Disguised with the
makeshift for City Dspensary located on
Ohio street. The new dispensary will be To-
Gated in the central station, but will be
apart from it in every particular. there
is not door connecting them. The main
entrance of the dispensary is at the south
west corner of the building. A broad cor
ridor, which, when provided with seats, will
make comfortable waiting room, runs