Police Annex & Court Trinity Building Renovation

University City is excited about the opportunity to undergo a historic transformation with its largest capital project to date, all without any financial burden on residents. This significant endeavor, more than 44 years in the making, involves the renovation of two historic properties – the City Hall Annex and the adjacent Trinity Building. 

The capital improvement project will transform the Annex into a state-of-the-art police headquarters and the Trinity Building into municipal court operations, along with a multi-purpose area. The multi-purpose space will be utilized for court proceedings and can be available for the community to use. At this time, no decisions have been made to relocate Council Chambers to the new space. 

City Manager Gregory Rose expressed enthusiasm for the project, highlighting finding our Police Department and Court Division a permanent home breathing new life into these aging structures, with an anticipated completion by early 2026.

Funding for the project will be facilitated through certificates of participation, with existing revenues allocated for debt retirement. However, public engagement remains crucial for the project's progression. A Town Hall meeting is scheduled for May 28, 6 p.m. at the Heman Park Community Center, 975 Pennsylvania, to provide comprehensive information and address inquiries. The meeting will be streamed live for those unable to attend in person. 

The initiative holds immense promise for the University City Police Department and Municipal Court. Both have been operating from temporary trailers behind City Hall and official court proceedings have been held at the Heman Park Community Center.

The Police Department has been operating out of temporary trailers since 2016. Beyond addressing pressing operational needs, such as accommodating modern policing technologies and ensuring security, the new facility will help enhance the department's capacity to attract and retain top-tier law enforcement professionals, better serving the diverse needs of the community and the complex needs of law enforcement.

The need to establish a new police headquarters and revitalize the Annex and Trinity Buildings has been under consideration since 1980, when an initial study commissioned by the City indicated that the two buildings could be renovated despite their challenges. But for a variety of reasons no action was taken, and the buildings continued to deteriorate.

Although a second study commissioned in 2016 advocated for new construction instead of renovation, it did not address the challenges of finding a suitable location or construction costs for a new Police Department, as well as costs to demolish the existing structures and repurposing the space. Changes in City government in 2017 and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic put all considerations on hold. 

Meanwhile the buildings stood idle. Both the Annex and Trinity Buildings, dating back to 1903 and 1934, respectively, hold historical significance. The nearly 36,000-sq.-ft., 3-story plus basement Annex had served as the police headquarters for over eight decades until its condemnation in 2016. The 2-story, 8,512-sq.ft. Trinity Building housed the University City Public Library until the mid-1960s and has been vacant for six decades.

In 2019, the City commissioned a new assessment conducted by Trivers Architects, which included a thorough building evaluation and space needs analysis. 

Recommendations included preserving historical elements of both buildings while incorporating modern amenities to meet contemporary standards for technology, security, mechanical systems, lighting and sustainability, with a focus on energy efficiency. In addition to making the facilities more operationally efficient, they would also be more user-friendly and ADA compliant.

In addition, the recommendation to include the Municipal Court operations in the capital project renovation was guided by the best practices outlined by the Supreme Court of Missouri after the Department of Justice’s examination of the City of Ferguson’s operations in 2015. According to the report, "To the extent feasible, municipal court space for judges, staff record-keeping, and work processes should be sight and sound separated from police and prosecution activities."  

“This project, which has been meticulously studied and long overdue, is the largest capital project in University City’s history to date. Its realization not only promises modern facilities for our dedicated City employees but also embodies the collective pride of our residents in our vital municipal resources. I am thrilled by the progress this signifies for University City,” said Rose.