The Saint Paul Public Safety Building & Annex
by Edward J. "Ed" Steenberg
Saint Paul Police Historical Society
Information from circa 1930 is based in part on the following document, as well as others:
Annual Report of the Bureau of Police
Department of Public Safety of the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota
For the Year of 1930
Re-Organization of Police Administration
(June to December of the Year 1930)
The year 1930 marked a change in locale for the Saint Paul Police. The building of the present City-County Courthouse was completed, as well as construction on the new Public Safety Building (PSB) at 101 East Tenth Street. The contract for the three storied "Roman-Doric" architectural styled Public Safety Building designed by City Architect Francis X. Tewes had been let in September of the previous year.1 The structure of approximately 50,000 square feet, cost $485,632.00 to build. The Bureaus of Health, Fire and Police were transferred to the new facility, and on December 01, 1930 the old police headquarters located at 110 West Third Street (now Kellogg Boulevard) near Washington Street and four substations2 were closed and all police department functions centralized. It should be noted that the Fire complement included "Station 8".
During that same year the entire department was reorganized and put on a 24-hour schedule for the first time; and now fully motorized, squads were equipped with one-way radios, broadcasting calls over the FCC-licensed WPDS (nine years later two-way radios were introduced and installed); the Women's Division was reorganized with a superintendent in charge; and a new Crime Investigation Squad was created. Also included in the Public Safety Building was a garage, the City Jail along with a "show-up" room, and an area provided for weekend and night court. There was even an apartment for the medical doctor(s) working the 24/7 police ambulance service.
Other transformations taking place in 1930 included a change in the police uniform. Gone was the blue and in was the olive drab (green) military style uniform, including Sam Browne belt with a cross-draw covered holster and brass "SPPD" buttons on a blouse coat. The hat, known as an eight point uniform hat, was also olive drab. Supervisors and those working indoors did not have to wear the initially mandated leather puttees. One of the first units to wear the green uniform was a new Traffic Squad. A police school was also established, consisting of a training course of one month in length; and a new division, the Records Bureau, was created after an exhaustive study was made of modern filing and recording systems as practiced in various policing agencies throughout the country. This division, including the Bertillon Room (Identification Unit), was also under the new 24-hour schedule.
But within four decades, the building was bursting at the seams.
With the Public Safety Building at 101 East Tenth Street full to overflowing, additional office space was sought and became available in an old city garage and warehouse located directly across the street at 100 East Tenth Street. After extensive renovation, the Public Safety Annex Building was ready for occupation on December 22, 1976. A skyway was constructed to connect the two buildings. Said building provided space for the Patrol Division and Support Services Division offices as well as their ancillary units. It should be noted that with the move of a number of units to the Annex Building an extensive renovation was later conducted at the Public Safety Building, itself, in 1987. The public entry to the Public Safety Building was moved to the rear, changing the address to 100 East Eleventh Street. I still liked the old "front entrance", and that façade has been retained after the building was sold, razed, and the Penfield Apartments built, on-site.
The "Art Deco" architectural style Annex Building was built in 1925 for the Tri-State Telephone and Telegraph Company as garage and warehouse space.3 Tri-State would later be acquired by Northwestern Bell Telephone Exchange Company in 1944.4 A remnant of Tri-State remains. On the ramp to the basement garage level there is a sliding steel door to what I remember as the police department's SWAT Team locker room. The door is blast resistant and Tri-State used the room for battery storage. If a battery exploded, the door was supposed to contain the blast. A remnant of Northwestern Bell Telephone Company also remains. As you depart the building onto Tenth Street, there is a Northwestern Bell Telephone Company sign reminding you "No Left Turn, Right Turn Only".
The building of approximately 73,000 square feet is built on five levels, one partially below grade, with entrance/exit onto Tenth Street and a lower entrance/exit onto an alleyway leading to Robert Street. There is parking space available for up to 48 vehicles within the first floor and lower level. Elevators take you from floor to floor and restrooms are accessible throughout the building.
The deed for the building at 100 East Tenth Street transferred from Northwestern Bell Telephone Company to the City of Saint Paul on May 01, 1946, wherein the structure was utilized by a number of city departments, including the police. When I came on the police department in 1964, the City Lighting Bureau was using a big portion of the building. The Public Works' testing laboratory was also located there. One of the tasks conducted by the lab was to check core samples of concrete that was being used in the construction of city streets. I can remember hearing the slam of large hydraulic hammers striking the concrete samples.
For an extended period starting in the late 1940s, the 4th floor of the building was leased out as the Minnesota Headquarters of the Selective Service System (SSS), an independent agency of the United States government.5 Many of my contemporaries registered for the military draft, from that office. The building was also utilized for a period of time for the storage of citywide election machines.
Not only did the Public Safety Annex Building provide more office space for the police department, but in addition it housed the Radio Shop, which maintained communication services for most of the police and fire agencies within the greater east metro region. It also provided room for modern training facilities, a full service gymnasium, as well as IT and audio-visual services. With the AV studio, training material and department advisories could now be prepared in-house. Parked within the building were a bomb truck and trailer, as well as assorted SWAT and other police vehicles.
With the department's space needs continuing to grow over the decades and the value of the two pieces of property on Tenth Street being of the highest level within the city, a decision was made to move the police department to what is now known as the James S. Griffin Saint Paul Police Headquarters Building6, at 367 Grove Street. The Griffin Building was built in 1919, and was originally designed as a candy factory for the Ramer's Chocolates Candy Company7. During the 1930s, the building was renovated into a liquor distillery by George Benz and Sons. The 3M Corporation purchased the building in the mid-1940s in which they created a research laboratory for their products (New Products and Central Research Divisions). The building was vacated by 3M in the 1990s and remained unoccupied until the City of Saint Paul took possession on September 17, 20028. The low-rise building contains six floors above ground and one floor below. The oft recognized central tower rises 108.00 feet in height, some 30 feet above the main roof.
The whole interior of the building was gutted to the outside walls in an extensive renovation and remodeling project conducted by McGough Construction Company of Saint Paul, a task taking approximately eleven months. On November 27, 2002, the Saint Paul City Council unanimously approved the renaming of the building in honor of the retired Deputy Chief James S. Griffin. I guess it's kind of ironic; a building built in 1930 (PSB) was razed and replaced by a building built in 1919.
A skyway was built to connect the Griffin Building to the Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) and the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center (RCLEC), completing what is now known as the Ramsey County-Saint Paul Criminal Justice Campus. In January 2004, the newly remodeled Saint Paul Police Department Headquarters Building was fully occupied and operational. A dedication ceremony and open house of the newly renovated police headquarters took place on Saturday, May 15, 2004. Also located on same campus are the county's pre-trial detention operations (County Jail), as well as Second Judicial District Courtrooms.
By now the Saint Paul Police Department was partially decentralized (again), with the Administrative Headquarters and Central District Office located at the aforementioned Griffin Building, the East District Office located at 722 Payne Avenue, and the West District Office located at 389 North Hamline Avenue. At some time in the future, a stand-alone building will be built for the Central District, completing the decentralization.
SPPHS Historians Fred Kaphingst and Jeff Neuberger
contributed to this Report, as did Research Center Associate
Rich Arpi of the Ramsey County Historical Society.
1 On September 25, 1929 a building permit was issued to the Swenson & Hakanson Construction Company of Saint Paul for the Public Safety Building to be built at 101 E. Tenth Street for an initial bid of $366,000.
2 The decentralization of the police department had taken place with the opening of four new police substations, Ducas Street Station (originally called Winslow Avenue Station), Margaret Street Station, Rondo Street Station, and Union Park Station (also known as Prior Avenue Station) on May 02, 1887, and the city divided into five policing districts (Central Station along with the four substations).
3 On March 25, 1925 a building permit was issued to Steenberg Construction Company of Saint Paul for a garage and warehouse building to be built for the Tri-State Telephone and Telegraph Company at 100 E. Tenth Street for a total cost of $125,000.
4 The earliest references to the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, an Iowa Corporation, of conducting business in Saint Paul and the property in question were documents filed with the Ramsey County Office of Register of Deeds and Ramsey County Office of Register of Titles on April 11, 1946, just prior to the sale of the building to the City.
5 Office of the State Director; U.S. Station No. 21-053.
6 Alternative Names: Ramer Building, Benz Building, and 3M Building #5..
7 On July 19, 1919 a building permit was issued to Butler Bros. Building Company of Saint Paul for a building to be built for Ramer Candy Company at 367 Grove Street for a total cost of $235,000.
8 September 17, 2002; Lease Agreement made with the Ramsey county Board of commissioners. December 15, 2011; Lease Terminated and Purchase Option taken.