Elmhurst Eyes New Police Station, City Hall

ELMHURST, IL – An architect is presenting four options for a new Elmhurst Police Department building, two of which include a new City Hall.

The costs would range from $40 million to $95 million.

The City Council's public safety committee is set to receive a presentation from Chicago-based FGM Architects on Monday.

The firm noted a 2019 study that said the police department needs 54,000 square feet of space to operate effectively.

That is far greater than the 31,000 square feet of the 33-year-old police station. The square footage numbers exclude the department's indoor parking garage.

The lowest-cost option, at $40 million, would involve an 18,000-square-foot addition and a full renovation of the rest of the building.

FGM Architects said the design of the existing building limits what can be done with the renovation.

Another option is demolishing the police station and building a new one, at a cost of $46 million.

The other two options would call for the construction of a three- or four-story building including City Hall at a cost of either $78 million or $95 million, respectively.

For all the options, it appears the work would be done at the police station's existing site. Previously, officials have talked about finding a new site for a combined City Hall and police station.

City Hall is 31 years old. In a 2003 story about the building, the Chicago Tribune stated it cost $5.3 million to construct it.

Last year, Mayor Scott Levin told the City Council that the current police station wasn't designed by an architect who specialized in such buildings. A police station, he said, was different from other kinds of buildings.

Because of the design, officers have difficulties in removing suspects in the sally port and juveniles are processed next to adult suspects, Levin said.