Construction is underway on Chelsea Beacon, a residential conversion and expansion of the former Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan. Designed by COOKFOX and developed by Camber Property Group and the Osborne Association, the project will involve the construction of an addition within the existing structure’s inner courtyard that will extend seven stories above the current roofline. The $167 million development will yield 131 permanently affordable apartments, including at least 79 supportive housing units, as well as a 15-bed short-term transitional residence program and community facility space.
The property is located at the southeast corner of West 20th Street and Eleventh Avenue, directly across from Chelsea Piers.
The renderings show the new levels rising above the southern edge of the existing Art Deco brick structure. The addition will feature a light beige brick façade surrounding floor-to-ceiling windows with black frames, and will culminate in a tall bulkhead with curved corners, matching the geometry of the levels below. The former roof will be topped with an expansive terrace featuring an urban garden.
Rendering of Chelsea Beacon. Designed by COOKFOX.
Originally built in the early 1930s as the Seamen’s House YMCA, the building later operated as the Bayview Correctional Facility before closing in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The redevelopment will preserve architectural features, including the building’s chapel, while incorporating all-electric building systems and other sustainability and resiliency upgrades.
Rendering of Chelsea Beacon. Designed by COOKFOX.
Apartments at Chelsea Beacon will be affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The project’s approximately 8,500 square feet of community facility space will serve youth recreational and educational programming. The 15-bed transitional residence will provide intensive mental health support over a 120-day period for individuals preparing to move into more independent housing. Financing includes federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, and capital support from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Empire State Development, and the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Rendering of Chelsea Beacon. Designed by COOKFOX.
The closest subways from the property are the C and E trains at the 23rd Street station along Eighth Avenue.
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The Beacon seems a bit dim to me. Would it have been so difficult to use a brick color similar to the original building? Something without the curves would have been a better fit.
Great project but mediocre (at best) architecturally- looks like original building sprouted a tumor