Brooklyn's Downtown Jail To Reopen As Part of A Mixed Use Redevelopment

Brooklyn's House of Detention has long been an eyesore, but the red-hot housing market may change its setting into a lively place, with apartments, hotels or offices on both sides, and retail below. The market will help determine the uses.

2 minute read

May 12, 2007, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"Turning the jail, which opened in 1956, into a mixed-use complex would fill a gap that 'still destroys the tapestry of Atlantic Avenue and really separates it from east to west,' said Mr. Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president. 'If we built bookend buildings, we could almost mask the House of Detention,' he added."

"The city is seeking a developer interested in supervising the expansion and renovation of the jail and in owning the retail space on the street level of the complex, as well as the new residential or commercial buildings."

"Diagrams in city documents suggest that one or two buildings, each 10 to 15 stories tall, could abut the jail, which closed in 2003. (The Correction Department plans to nearly double the jail's capacity of 760 beds). City officials will decide whether those buildings would contain apartments, hotel rooms or offices after fielding responses from developers over the next 10 weeks."

"'There's no preference for residential, but we certainly wanted to test the market to see what the developers thought,' said Jennifer K. Friedman, a vice president in the city's Economic Development Corporation, which is soliciting the responses."

"Robert Maruca, a deputy correction commissioner, said he understood that there might be trepidation about having inmates on the other side of one's bedroom wall. Others believe that people are so hungry for living space in Downtown Brooklyn that they would be willing to rent or buy homes right next to the jail."

Friday, May 11, 2007 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

6 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

7 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press