After years of operating out of a converted grocery store, the Town of Front Royal needed to a new, secure police facility on a limited budget. They required space for administration, investigations, patrol, records, communications dispatch, fitness room and lockers, community room, bike storage, K-9 kennels, evidence storage, evidence processing lab, and indoor TAC vehicle storage.
Front Royal police wanted a facility that separated these many functions into spaces for those used daily and those used less frequently. We responded by dividing the program into two buildings. The 15,700-square-foot main building, designed to meet the stringent standards for essential facility designation, accommodates routine police work including suites for administration, investigations, patrol, and communication dispatch. A meeting room that seats 35 is available for community use as well as for police training. Joined by a covered connector, a 7,300-square-foot support building houses vehicle storage, bike storage, K-9 kennels, evidence storage, and the evidence processing lab. By dividing the program into an essential facility and a support building, we greatly reduced the cost without reducing the integrity of the spaces. The interior design incorporated aesthetically pleasing materials and finishes in the public portions of the facility, while prioritizing durability in the more utilitarian spaces used strictly by police.
Informed by the findings of a space needs assessment, the town purchased a 5.24-acre lot on a superfund site previously occupied by a rayon-manufacturing plant. During construction, the team diligently monitored the soil to ensure it did not encounter any contamination as foundations were dug. The building will meet the needs of the department through 2040, and the site will allow room for a phased build-out for the next 25 years.
Architect/Firm Name: Moseley Architects