ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A backhoe began knocking down chunks of a more than 70-year-old building that served as police headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg until recent years on Tuesday.


What You Need To Know

  • The demolition is expected to take three-to-four months.

  • Orange Station will feature condos, apartments, offices, shops and a parking garage

  • Orange Station will break ground next June

"I would say we're going to miss this building, but I can't. It's probably better that we say good riddance," said Mayor Rick Kriseman. "It had a great life and it's time for it to leave." ​

The entire demolition is expected to take three-to-four months. The valuable lot in the Edge district will be cleared for a new mixed-use project called Orange Station. 

The new development will feature 61 condos, 42 workforce apartments, offices, shops and a parking garage with 400 public spaces. Developers say Orange Station will encircle a new public plaza with outdoor cafes and serve as a SunRunner rapid transit line station to the beaches.

Ya La’ford​, the installation's artist, has been commissioned to do a special tribute to the Courageous 12, the black officers that sued the city back in the 1960s to gain the same rights as their white colleagues. 

"The artwork is titled as the 'Badge of Justice,'" said La'Ford. "It aims to signify the twelve police officers, the obstacles they encountered and their eventual triumph and equality." ​

The St. Petersburg Police Department moved into their new $78 million headquarters in March 2019. Orange Station is scheduled to break ground next June.