Where was Chicago P.D. filmed? All filming locations revealed

Chicago P.D. is filmed in Chicago, Illinois, and the city itself plays a big role in the gritty look of the show. The outside of the University of Illinois Chicago Police Headquarters for the made-up 21st District is a major location, as are the show's main interior sets, which are built at Cinespace Studios. 

The series follows the fictional 21st District of the Chicago Police Department, which houses patrol officers and the Intelligence Unit. Sergeant Hank Voight leads the unit that fights organized crime, drug trafficking, and high-profile murders. The unit often blurs legal police work and street justice with controversial tactics.

Chicago P.D.: Here are the filming locations of the NBC series

UIC Police Station

The UIC Police Station is the real-life location for the fictional 21st District Station. This historic building, located at 943 W Maxwell St in Chicago, IL, makes a great setting for the police department. In the first episode, the Intelligence Unit's high-stakes beheading investigation was filmed at the station.

The station was built in 1888 by the well-known architectural firm Edbrooke and Burnham. It is a stunning, well-preserved example of an early Chicago neighborhood police station. The brick front of the building tells the story of the city's early immigrants and how its police department has changed over time. 

The UIC Police facility is a fully functioning police station. People can come to the area. However, they can't walk around or take selfies without permission. 

Cinespace Studios Chicago

Cinespace Studios is the primary indoor filming location for Chicago P.D. and the main hub for set construction and recurring interior scenes. It is located at 2621 W 15th Pl, Chicago, IL.

The majority of the station's action, including the 21st District Station sets, takes place here. Production designer Gregory Van Horn created five distinct sets for the district: the Front Desk, Intelligence, Roll-Up, Motor Pool, and Lockup. These occupy over 15,000 square feet across two sound stages and a maintenance building. The Bullpen, Voight's Office, Interview Rooms (1 and 2), Observation, Locker Room, and War Room (Wire Room) are connected by hallways.

The One Chicago franchise's Molly's Pub stage set was recreated here. It captures the charm of Lottie's Pub.

On a set originally built for Empire, Cinespace Studios filmed the cell scenes for Season 5's "Homecoming," where Detective Alvin Olinsky dies. Cinespace Studios is a global sound stage leader.

From downtown Chicago, one can take the Pink Line train from the Harold Washington Library-State stop to Polk, then take the 12 bus and walk ten minutes.

White Palace Grill

The White Palace Grill is a recurring, authentic American diner that the Chicago P.D. characters often use. It is located at 1159 S Canal St, Chicago, IL. This location offers a quintessential American diner experience and is frequently utilized as a spot for the Intelligence Unit to meet, eat, and discuss cases.

4400 S Princeton Ave, Chicago, IL

Police Officer Halstead is shown in Season 7, Episode 6. When someone calls him, they say that shots were fired at a house. Inside, he sees a horrible sight: two young boys have been tragically shot in the head. When it happened, they were really into a video game. A residential building at 4400 S. Princeton Ave., Chicago, was used for filming. Using a real house made the tragedy seem even more real. It brought out the harsh reality of these kinds of violent events.

When Halstead found this horrendous incident, he quickly arrested a man. Marcus West was his name. West was killed by a knife while he was in prison. Then an awful truth came out. The software that was used to identify West was still in its early stages. This showed a terrible case of mistaken identity.

Damen Grain Silos

The Damen Grain Silos were the creepy setting for one of the most dramatic scenes in the series involving Sergeant Voight. At 2860 S Damen Ave, Chicago, IL, you can find the silos. In Season 3, Episode 3, the silos were the setting for the scary ending, in which Voight, still upset about the death of his son, confronts the killer, Kevin Bingham. Erin Lindsay tries to talk Voight out of putting Bingham to death by telling him to dig his own grave first. These huge buildings haven't been used since an explosion in 1977. 

It is against the law and dangerous to explore the Damen Silos as the buildings are in ruins. People are strongly told not to try to get into the site without the right permissions. To get a look at the silos without getting too close, tourists can take the Orange Line train from downtown Chicago to the Ashland stop and get off. After that, it's either a short bus ride or a 15-minute walk to the place.

Cook Brothers

The eighth episode of Season 7 is called "No Regrets," and it has a very personal and intense plot. Marina Squerciati's character, Burgess tells Adam Ruzek that she is pregnant. 

The main plot of the episode is the investigation of a stolen car. Because of this case, both Burgess and Ruzek end up at Cook Brothers, a local department store in Chicago at 1740 N Kostner Ave. They were trying to find the car that the suspect, Ray, had been driving.

Burgess found Ray inside the store. She tried not to be seen so that she wouldn't tell him. But when more police officers showed up, things got more complicated. The extra police were there to get back the stolen car. Being here told Ray something was up. He started firing at the police officers right away.

The scene that followed was a tense standoff. Burgess begged the other police officers very hard to remain calm. Her first goal was to get Ray to safely tell her where a child was.

The Cook Brothers store was the site of this tense confrontation. The place made a great background. The setting is very different from the dramatic events going on inside, which is very everyday. The department store still has the same look as in the show. This makes it easy for fans to go back to the scene and feel the mood of the episode. It's easy to get to the store. The closest stop for public transportation is Kostner & Le Moyne, which is served by buses 72 and 73. The location is easy for drivers to get to from I-290 W, and there is plenty of parking.

Chicago P.D. episodes are available to stream on NBC.