Touring the Joseph D. Adams Public Safety Building
- January 9, 2021
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- Awards, Excellent Design, Historic Architecture, Municipal Architect

Design Incorporates a Rich History, Continues a Strong Legacy
CMA team members recently enjoyed a tour of the newly opened Lehi City Police Station. While many of our team participated in the project, some had not had the opportunity to visit the finished building. Principal Jay Taggart led the tour with the goal of helping all CMA staff learn about the project, its history, the design philosophy, and how the design translated into a constructed facility.
The design incorporates the rich history of the area. The project is located in the heart of downtown where the former Broadbent building housed an old family store. The modern, cutting-edge facility incorporates many features of that original building, including transoms, window detailing and proportions, and repurposed brick.

The project is located in the heart of downtown where the former Broadbent building housed an old family store
Repurposing the brick required some careful planning. Jay recalled, “It’s not like we could get more brick. What we had needed to be enough.” CMA’s initial design called for a brick accent wall in the lobby. However, due to the brittle nature and the limited quantity of the original brick, we decided to use most of the brick in the EOC/Broadbent Community Room. Even then, there was barely enough brick for the installation.
Originally called the Lehi City Police Station, the project was named the Joseph D. Adams Public Safety Building in honor of the Lehi Police Department officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2001. A monument to Officer Adams was erected adjacent to the main entry as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice he made, and the risk that all law enforcement officers accept.

A monument to Officer Adams was erected adjacent to the main entry
The Public Safety building’s design was highly collaborative between the CMA team and owner’s representative, as well as the police and other Lehi City officials. The award-winning CMA design received extremely complimentary comments from the Lehi City Mayor, who shared that this building established the design standard for future municipal and private buildings in this area of the city.