NYPD opens new $85M station house in South Bronx, features community room and sustainable design

station house
The new 40th Precinct station house at East 149th Street and St. Ann’s Avenue opened to residents this week.
Photo courtesy of the Department of Design and Construction

NYPD officers, elected officials and community members cut the ribbon on the new 40th Precinct station house in the South Bronx on Nov. 20.

According to the NYPD, the new location at 567 East 149th Street began serving residents on Nov. 18. Construction on the stationhouse began in 2018, and it was a long time coming.

“Today, we are fulfilling the pledge we made to the people of the South Bronx a decade ago,” said NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon, who has since been replaced by Jessica S. Tisch, the permanent NYPD Commissioner.

“Our promise was to build a new, state-of-the-art NYPD facility that would be unlike any other precinct in New York City, and one that truly belongs to this community.

Photo courtesy Department of Design and Construction

The $85-million facility is the first station house to include a dedicated space for neighborhood events — a decision met with praise from local electeds. The station house, which is 45,260 square feet, also includes areas for officer training and for physical fitness.

“The addition of a community room reflects our commitment to creating spaces that will strengthen relationships between our police officers and community members,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark also emphasized the importance of bringing people into the station house on a regular, non-emergency basis. “Having a community room inside for residents to use for meetings and other events brings them into the stationhouse for positive reasons and is a great way to strengthen the relationship between cops and the people they serve,” she said. “We need to modernize all of our precincts.”  

In addition to its community focus, the facility was also designed for environmental sustainability, featuring a planted green roof and high-efficiency water and energy systems. It also has fuel tanks and backup generators, allowing it to power the neighborhood in the event of a blackout.

The new location includes an onsite parking lot to free up street parking for residents, as well as two art installations, one by Brooklyn artist Jeffrey Gibson in the community room and another by Bronx artist Boriquen Gallo on the perimeter fence.

The overall look of the new station house is “sophisticated and inviting,” said Thomas Foley, commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction. “DDC builds cool stuff all over the city, and we’re proud to help NYPD in its critical mission.” 


Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes