42nd Precinct Police Station
Also known as: Town Hall Police Station
Why it's listed
Completed in 1907 at the northwest corner of Halsted and Addison streets in Chicago's Lakeview community area, this two-story police station is built of reddish-brown face brick with buff limestone trim. Its east and south facades are organized into bays by brick pilasters with Tuscan capitals, topped by a heavy denticulated copper cornice. The Halsted Street entrance has an ornate limestone surround carved with "Police Station" and "42nd Precinct." Inside, the entry vestibule and parts of the first floor keep glazed brick, pressed metal ceilings, ceramic tile and wood trim. The site was the location of the Lake View Town Hall before the township was annexed to Chicago in 1889, which explains the building's nickname. Its Classical Revival design reflects the early twentieth-century taste for classical forms in public buildings. Windows have been replaced and interior spaces altered, but the exterior massing and main entrance remain intact. The police department left the building in 2010, and it is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the building as a locally significant example of a Classical Revival government building. It reflects the early 1900s practice of using Classical styles for public buildings such as police stations and firehouses in Chicago after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. It also marks the former municipal center of the township of Lake View, annexed to Chicago in 1889.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12001236, listed January 29, 2013. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3600 N. Halstead St., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | January 29, 2013 |
| Reference number | 12001236 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals / Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Chicago Police Department ceased operations at the station in 2010 and moved to a new police station built immediately to the west; the form lists the current function as vacant/not in use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.94941, -87.64979 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12001236.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23302564
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.