Construction is quickly progressing on the 15-story jail complex at 275 Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Designed by HOK and developed by the NYC Department of Design and Construction, the 339-foot-tall structure will span 712,150 square feet with a capacity of 1,040 inmates. The project will also include 30,000 square feet of community facility space, two cellar levels, two loading berths, 100 enclosed parking spaces, and an underground tunnel connecting to the adjacent courthouse. The redevelopment will replace the defunct Brooklyn Detention Complex and is bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Boerum Place, and Smith and State Streets.
Superstructure work was just getting underway at the time of our last update in early September, when the two tower cranes, the first steel components, and pair of reinforced concrete cores were all starting to simultaneously rise above the neighborhood. Recent photographs show a substantial amount of the building’s steel framework assembled. Only a handful of floors are left to construct before reaching the height of the two interior cores. One of which has already topped out with the wraparound concrete formwork and black netting removed.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
Several sections of the steelwork around the central portion of the superstructure are being encased with a layer of concrete, as noted by the wooden boards and metal shoring surrounding the concrete form work.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
Here we see a view looking south along Boerum Place.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
Steel fireproofing is moving along as well, while first two sections of the exterior cladding now enclose the northwestern and southeastern corners of the building, directly above the wraparound sidewalk shed. YIMBY expects the project to fully top out sometime next month.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Photo by Michael Young.
The below renderings depict the Brooklyn Detention Center designed as two interlocking volumes with opposing cantilevers and stepped setbacks around a cutout dubbed “the central reveal.” The façade will consist of floor-to-ceiling glass framed by geometrically sculpted terracotta panels, while the cutout is further enhanced with bronze-hued ornamental screens. New sidewalks with trees, garden beds, and bollards will line the edges of the full-block property and the main entrance along Boerum Place.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
275 Atlantic Avenue. Designed by HOK.
The Brooklyn Detention Complex was originally built in 1957 with a maximum capacity of 815 male inmates. The property closed in 2020 and is being rebuilt as part of the plan to replace Rikers Island with modernized jail facilities in each borough except Staten Island. Each facility is expected to house up to 1,510 people.
275 Atlantic Avenue is expected to cost $3 billion and is anticipated to be completed in 2027.
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I assume there will be 24 hour ‘concierge’ service..
There seems to be more attention to detail here than in most projects being built currently..
What a great use of taxpayer dollars!
Jails right in the middle of residential areas.
Think of all the affordable units.
One Vanderbilt cost $3 billion btw and it set the standard for luxury class A office in our city. It is the ferrari of NYC real estate. Do our prisons need to be Ferraris? I dont think so.
This location previously was the Brooklyn House of Detention, I. e , a jail. If we must have jails, and I believe we do, the facade of this one is intriguing. Having spent a night many years ago in its previous iteration, I certainly hope the interior is an improvement over that horror show as well!
The overarching question is why does Staten Island continue to get favored child status and have no jail? It’s never had a NYC DOC jail yet it remands people into the jail system. Could it be because S.I.is the whitest borough with a large population of cops, firefighters and sanitation workers? Just a thought
Mr. Davidson, good day. Your comment regarding “just for thought”is the most racist comment I have seen in a long time. If you only knew how many ethnic groups of employees will build this structure, you may want to recant your comment. There is no place for this behavior with all the complexities that will need to take place to build this fine designed building.