Officials on Friday cut the ribbon on Cincinnati Parks' new Natural Resources Division headquarters.
The building on Ludlow Avenue was once Cincinnati Police District 5. CPD moved out of the building six years ago, citing space issues and health concerns.
City officials say the facility got a complete renovation to make way for Parks employees, who have to leave their previous headquarters on Reading Road in Avondale to make way for a new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health facility there.
Vice Mayor Jan Michele Kearney says the renovation of the Ludlow Avenue facility is an example of the city's commitment to thoughtful reuse of its existing infrastructure.
"It's not just a physical structure, but a symbol of our commitment to investing in the well-being of our staff, our parks and greenspaces and our community as a whole," she said.
The Natural Resources Division oversees conservation and maintenance efforts for roughly 3,000 greenspaces throughout the city. The division also does environmental education and community beautification projects.
Parks Director Jason Barron says the new building is environmentally conscious and budget-wise.
"We were able to take this building that had passed its useful life as a police headquarters and love it, care for it and restore it into something that we hope is going to be a world-class facility for our staff to work out of."