** This site is not to be confused with the "Providence Public Safety Complex" on Washington St, which is the new home of the Providence Police and Fire department. So, don't charge into the Washington St complex with all your urbex gear, because they'll shoot you.

Simple concrete faced building, deco style. Five floors, with basements, holding cells, evidence and weapons lockers, offices, offices, more offices, a courtroom, records storage, internal infrastructure, multiple stairwells and plenty of official police business. The building is constructed in a sort of "C" shape with two stairwells in the main section, and a smaller set of stairs leading to the basement holding cells. A hallway runs through the long part of the building, past offices, to larger utility spaces at the north-east side of the building (courtroom, detention blocks, small kitchens), while the other end of the hallway hooks around toward nests of offices and storage space.
The large basement levels, which include access to the three massive garage doors at street level, sub basements and infrastructure rooms are very dark, and contain the dismantled Gravity Games skatepark, and a hot dog cart.
From most accounts, the building was a wretched mess before the city workers vacated it. There are "out of order" signs on just about everything, chipping paint, evidence of attempted repair jobs, water damage that's obviously more than three years old, broken locks and a weapons locker with instructions to ask the sergeant before entering- written in sharpie.
Above the ground levels, the windows are not boarded up, and the building drips, groans and closes doors with a little help from the weather. From inside most of the offices, its possible to see and here what's going on in the busy streets outside. Much of the top floor and basement are water damaged, and most hallways have plenty of soggy ceiling tiles to stomp through.

** Regarding Access! This location has a few ways in, whatever... Remember that this building is in downtown. Do not make your entry conspicuous, do not go near the windows, do not use flashlights at night, do not make noise on the first few floors or by open windows, and DO NOT go onto the roof. You are surrounded by the civic center, a hotel, two apartment buildings, two office buildings. Even after entry is achieved, you are not necessarily safe once inside. This is a "will prosecute" situation, Providence is full of jerks, the new police station is right up the street, and a major development corporation has just expressed interest in the property.
Also, there is evidence of squatters living in the building for prolonged periods of time and some of the doors are still accessible to the police with the right keypad code so they can easily enter the building.

Varying reports put this building's initial construction at 1940 or 1960(s). Built for the Providence Police and Fire Departments, complete with temporary record storage, holding cells and traffic court.
While active the building fell into disrepair, and after a 1997 proposal, ground broke on the 11,984.5m², $32 million dollar Providence Safety Complex (completed with all union labor!). The Providence Police and Fire departments vacated the old headquarters in the spring/summer of 2002.

The Procaccianti Group announced that they were after the rights to the building in August 2005. And were granted redevelopment rights in December.

http://www.artinru...cay/policestation/
http://www.wpri.co...47204&nav=F2DOdZSN