The Brooklyn Detention Complex (originally the Brooklyn House of Detention) was a jail facility located at 275 Atlantic Avenue, in Brooklyn. At full capacity, it was able to house 815 male prisoners in its single cells.[1] Most of the population was made up of detainees undergoing the intake process or awaiting trial in Kings or Richmond County.[1]
Built in the 1950s, the jail closed in 2003 due to a declining inmate population. It reopened in 2012 after renovations with 544 staff.[2]
In 2017, New York City committed to closing the jails on Rikers Island and creating a network of modern borough-based jails instead. The Brooklyn Detention Center was designated as one of the jails that would be used to replace Rikers.[3] In August 2018, the city released a Draft Scope of Work outlining their plan for the new jail, which would tear down the existing 162,000 sq ft. facility and replace it with a building eight times as large (1.4 million sq ft.) and up to 40 stories tall.[4]
In March 2024, plans for the new jail gained traction with the demolition of the old structure.
The Brooklyn Detention Complex Demolition in March 2024
