Brooklyn Jail on Atlantic Avenue Tops Out

The last piece of structural steel was placed on the jail being built in Downtown Brooklyn on Wednesday, part of the four jails being built by the city to replace Rikers Island.

The NYC Department of Correction, NYC Department of Design and Construction and Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice joined more than 100 construction workers for the steel “topping out” ceremony.

The new jail being constructed at 275 Atlantic Ave. is 15 stories, with 1,040 beds and 82 parking spaces below grade for authorized vehicles. With a zoning floor area of 712,150-square-feet, over 30,000-square-feet of that space designated as community space with separate entrances fronting Atlantic Avenue, city officials said. 

“Every day, the city moves closer to a future off Rikers Island and toward a more modern, supportive system that uses design to uplift the people it serves," New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards said in a statement. “The reality is that the facilities on Rikers Island were built decades ago. It is time to provide our staff and the people in our care with conditions that center their humanity and help create a more compassionate legal system. Moreover, facilities, like the Brooklyn borough-based jail, will provide greater accessibility to lawyers, loved ones, and therapeutic programs that give people a better chance at success when they return to the community.”

The design of the new facility was developed over several years and involved numerous community design workshops and other meetings with the justice-involved community. The design principles that the design-build team followed include supportive environments with residential-style spaces and natural lighting and includes on-site areas for healthcare as well as education and legal services, officials said.

The building has been designed to be durable as well as to meet and exceed green building standards for sustainability, and the ground floor areas include welcoming visiting areas for the facility as well as uses that serve the surrounding neighborhood.

Construction began in November 2024 and is expected to reach substantial completion in the spring of 2029.