Manhattan Detention Facility
Construction begins on world's tallest jail in Manhattan
The Manhattan Detention Facility, designed by architecture studio HOK, is undergoing site preparation in New York City's Chinatown. The facility will be located at 125 White Street in Chinatown, on the same site as the former Manhattan Detention Complex, which was demolished in 2024.
Design and Features
The most up-to-date renders released by the New York City Department of Design and Construction and HOK show a building that is 335 feet tall and roughly 13 floors. It will be the tallest correctional facility in the world if built to this height. The building is split into two main volumes by a walkway that cuts through the bottom of the base and provides a pedestrian passageway across the site. A reddish mesh screen and undulating panels cover a portion of the facade.
According to the DDC, the city is still working with the surrounding community and the architecture team to finalise the design, which is updated periodically on the project website. Per community request, a variety of plantings and some seating will be placed around the site and in the public walkway. A visitor space that "feels comfortable and supports a welcoming environment" and contains easily accessible lockers and restrooms is also planned for the building.
Community Response and Controversy
The Manhattan jail has drawn much controversy, with the public and community organisations in opposition. Local leaders have penned a letter to New York mayor, warning of the site's structural fragility and calling for a reevaluation of the location. Some architecture studios have said that design can aid in creating more humane conditions for those incarcerated, while others have called on the design community to stop designing jails and prisons outright.
Replacement of Rikers Island
The jail is one of four in New York City put forward to receive a relocated population from the Rikers Island jail complex. Rikers Island contains 10 of the city's 15 correctional facilities, which hold up to 15,000 detainees. It is notorious for its violent environment and inhumane conditions. In 2019, New York City announced the complex's eventual closure, with plans to disperse the incarcerated population into four smaller jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens via an initiative called the Borough-Based Jail Program. For more information on the current standings of correctional facilities in New York City, please visit our website.
The Brooklyn jail is the furthest along, topping out just short of the Manhattan jail's planned height at 295 feet. HOK is leading the design of the Manhattan and Brooklyn jails, with Cetra Ruddy on The Bronx project and Michael Graves and others on the Queens jail. Renderings of the Bronx Detention Center by CetraRuddy were made public last year, showing a stepped volume wrapped in a similar mesh screen as the Manhattan complex. Site work on the new Manhattan Detention Facility is underway, including utility work and preliminary excavation, and is slated for completion in 2032. A total of 1,040 beds are planned for the facility.
