Brooklyn South (CBS: ‘97-) 78th Precinct, 65 Sixth Ave. in Brooklyn’s Park Slope
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During the crackdown on police corruption in the ’70s, cops were tied in the fourth-floor courtroom. On the floor above, holding cells have been converted to a cop lounge.
NOW
Desperately seeking restoration: the paint is peeling, the ceiling contains asbestos and tiles are worn out. “The building should be condemned,” declares Officer Nick Pierro.
Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC: ‘93-) Maxwell St. Police Station on Chicago’s West Side
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Dedicated in 1914; originally called Broadway Pier. It used to house the marine police, a harbor master, a tugboat company and even a ballroom and basketball courts.
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The marine police and the harbor master have long since moved out. But the place looks so much like a real police headquarters that folks regularly pull up to report crimes.
Hill Street Blues (NBC: ‘81-‘87) Maxwell St. Police Station on Chicago’s West Side
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Historians say the station house opened in 1889 in the aftermath of the 1886 Haymarket riots. Al Capone is rumored to have had a brief stay in the basement jail.
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Chicago’s only remaining 19th-century police station will get a facelift once the University of Illinois takes over “It’s going to have a new life,” says university spokesman Ed Tate.
CHIPs (NBC: ‘77-‘83) 777 W. Washington Blvd. in Los Angeles, under I-10 and Route 110
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In 1969, the L.A. California Highway Patrol parked a bunch of trailers under the Santa Monica and Harbor freeways and refitted them for use as a temporary office.
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Decades later, the patrol is still there. . .and still plans on moving to quieter, more stately digs. Gripes Officer Randy Sheran: “Three million people a day drive over our office.”
Hawaii Five-O (NBC: ‘68-‘80) Iolani Palace, 364 king St., in downtown Honolulu
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King Kalakaua, then Queen Liliuokalani, lived here from 1882 until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. Restoration began in 1969, funded in part by remaining royalty.
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The filming of “Hawaii Five-O” coincided with renovations until 1976, when film crews were thrown out. The only royal palace on U.S. soil now welcomes over 60,000 tourists annually.
The Andy Griffith Show (CBS: ‘60-‘68) Fictional Mayberry, N.C., inspired by Mt. Airy, N.C.
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The series was filmed on an MGM set that is based on Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy. Snappy Lunch and Floyd’s City Barber Shop are both existing locales.
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The L.A. set is gone. But Mt. Airy hosts an annual Mayberry Days Festival, when fans dress up as characters, decorate the town jail and parade around Jimmy, a local goat.
