The future of the former headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department is uncertain.
City officials will begin to hold public hearings in order to find out the public opinion on what the future should be for the run-down building. Cost estimates for each alternative have not been presented by the city’s Bureau of Engineering.

Closed in October 2009, there are reportedly three alternatives for the facility:

Option One: Partial Demolition

Partially demolishing the building would allow the city to expand the existing facility in order to add enough space for more offices and even a child care facility for city workers.

Option Two: Total Demolition

If the city chooses to demolish the property completely, it will be torn down and replaced with one or two towers. Those would serve as commercial or office space for the city, with more than 753,000 square feet.

Option Three: Rehabilitation

If rehabilitated, the former police headquarters could be used as an office space for city workers.

Rehabilitating  building will mean many improvements to the existing structure providing space for city offices and commercial space as well.

It is not known which way the city officials are leaning towards when it comes to the fate of the Parker Center.

Once public opinion has been gauged, the future of the iconic building will become clearer.

The History

The recently closed facility had served as the main jail for LAPD from 1954 to October 2009.

During that time, the building served as a symbol for the mix of good police work and scandals that occurred in the building’s nearly 60-year history.

The facility was named for Chief William Parker, one of the most influential police chiefs of the LAPD. The renowned chief took over the department in 1950 and worked to turn around the LAPD’s reputation for corruption. He was also responsible for desegregating the department during the rise of the civil rights movement. Parker died of a fatal heart attack in 1966 after serving on the force for 39 years.

Over the years, the Parker Center has become outdated and needed a growing list of repairs, including seismic retrofits.

It was decided to build a new headquarters for the LAPD and in January 2007, ground was broken for the facility at a property south of City Hall. Construction was completed in 2009. Parker Center was officially closed January 15, 2013 and was replaced by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Jail.