Image of current and future Brooklyn House of Detention: New York City Department of Design & Construction
The notorious Brooklyn House of Detention – immortalized by everyone from the Beastie Boys to Jonathan Lethem – has been closed since 2003, but plans to reopen the jail at twice its previous size are still moving forward. Last year many newcomers to the steadily gentrifying neighborhood decried plans to bring back the detention center, located at the intersection of Atlantic and Smith.
But a proposal to use the ground floor for retail may sweeten the deal slightly for the community’s upwardly mobile transplants; Trader Joe’s has been repeatedly name-checked by officials as a possible anchor for the retail space. At a recent meeting to discuss plans for relocating inmates at Riker’s Island throughout the five boroughs, the House of D project was revisited, with preliminary renderings by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill envisioning a “more vibrant shopping arcade” for the ground floor. As you can see above, Trader Joe’s is prominently depicted in the rendering.
But does this suggest anything about the status of the Trader Joe’s planned for the old Independence Bank on Atlantic and Court? A rumor swirled last week that the deal had soured between the property’s owner, Two Trees Management, and Trader Joe’s, but both sides insist the project is moving forward, with an opening sometime late next year. So given that location’s proximity to the House of D, maybe jail planners should start thinking Whole Foods? Or IKEA? As long as it’s a big chain store with no roots in the community, they can’t go wrong.
