The $65-million makeover of a former jail in downtown Phoenix into the county attorney’s headquarters represents more than a mere face-lift. Crews are removing tons of concrete and steel to make a space that’s open, filled with sunlight and still secure.
The six-story, 278,000-sq-ft building, formerly the Madison Street Jail, will become 225 W. Madison when complete. Built in 1985, the mostly cast-in-place concrete structure was closed in 2005 and sat vacant for more than 13 years after overuse and infrastructure failures led to the facility no longer meeting department of correction standards. The extreme failure of the plumbing system, primarily attributed to the use of evaporative cooling, proved the most problematic issue.