Niagara Regional Police Service - 1 District Detachment

The building is in the middle of demolition so be careful for unstable floors or any part of the building that could collapse. Also watch out for anything you could step on like nails or broken glass. The property is fenced off with a temporary construction fence all around it and the grass around the building especially in the front is super tall so you could most likely get ticks by walking in it. The building is also on a busy main street in downtown so you're pretty visible by buildings and stores in the area but you could also get seen by foot traffic and cars driving by.

This three-storey police station was built in 1963 and originally housed the St. Catharines Police Force. After the formation of the Niagara Regional Police Force on January 1, 1971, the building then became their headquarters. In the early 1980s though the police force changed their name from the "Niagara Regional Police Force" to the "Niagara Regional Police Service." Also in the early 1980s specifically in 1983 ground was broken for an addition to the building. A year later on September 9, 1984 the building was officially designated as the 1 District (St. Catharines) detachment. The building remained opened for decades but by the 2010s, the building suffered from various maintenance issues, such as leaks, air quality problems, and a rat infestation. In September 2016, the police service relocated its main headquarters out of building and into their new building in Niagara Falls. The building in St. Catharines stayed opened for a couple more years until it officially closed in March 2021 after the new $21-million building was completed. The building sat vacant for a few years while the Niagara Region decided what to do with the building. They eventually decided to redevelop the site into a high-density mixed-use development. The plan for the development was approved on October. 21, 2024 and will include three buildings, a 27-storey, 12-storey and a 4-storey building. In total the development which is named "68 Church Street Condos" will feature 305 residential units with building 1 at 192 units, building 2 at 81 units and building 3 at 32 units. It will also include 162 underground parking spaces and 40 bicycle parking spaces. In March 2026 throughout May 2026 the building was getting gutted and ready for demolition. Later on I think around the end of May is when demolition started and will be most likely finished in the next couple of days. After the building is completely demolished, soil remediation will take place and then final land maintenance which is scheduled to be completed by August 2026. After the property is all cleared, the land will be put up for sale by the Niagara Region. Once the land is sold all of the proceeds will be used to fund affordable housing projects throughout the region.