Prerna Singh
‘Chicago P.D.’ is a police procedural drama and a spin-off of ‘Chicago Fire,’ which revolves around the fictional District 21 of the Chicago Police Department. The police department has two clear distinctions: the uniformed officers who patrol the streets and deal with petty crime and the other is the Intelligence Unit, which looks at organized crimes, drug cartels, and the like.
Created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, the series has received mixed responses from critics, who were not impressed with the aspects typical to Wolf’s work in ‘Miami Vice’ or ‘Law & Order.’ However, the portrayal of strong female characters has been largely appreciated. Some of you may recognize various spots from Chicago and want to know whether the city is the shooting location. Well, here is what we know!
Chicago P.D. Filming Locations
If you have spotted some of the city’s landmarks, it is because the film was filmed in different parts of Chicago. Let’s take a look at some of the specific locations!
Chicago, Illinois
‘Chicago P.D.’ is usually filmed at the Cinespace Chicago Film Studios located at 2621 West 15th Place, Chicago, and is sprawled across 1.45 million sq. ft. With 32 soundproof stages and elaborate facilities for storage, set development, production offices, and parking, the studio is a convenient choice for filming. The property used to be the old Ryerson Steel Company and is the biggest independent studio outside of Hollywood, L.A.
In the first week of October 2020, the crew started filming for season 8, months after productions had come to a halt because of Coronavirus. All safety and health guidelines were ensured before the cameras started rolling again. Scenes are also filmed at the Damen Silos, referred to as Voight’s silos in the series. It is located at 2700 South Damen Avenue. These dilapidated structures once used to be grain elevators and have been given a new lease of life by urban graffiti artists.
The series often features the neighborhood of Pilsen, especially the area around 18th Street. Coming to the fictional District 21 is actually the University of Illinois Police Headquarters at 943 West Maxwell Street. Being a functioning police station, scenes are filmed using only the exterior shots of the building, which is about half a mile from the firehouse that features in ‘Chicago Fire.’
The University of Illinois at Chicago appears in the series and is regularly on-screen because of its impressive architecture. Other places that serve as filming locations include a few local bars and restaurants across the city, where the characters often visit. These include White Palace Grill on 1159 South Canal Street, Bridgeport Restaurant, Lou Mitchell’s, The Village Inn, and the Original Ferrara Bakery. Molly’s Bar in the series is actually Lottie’s Pub in Bucktown, where filming does not take place anymore.
Read More: Where Is Chicago Fire Filmed?
