Bayview Correctional Facility

Bayview Correctional Facility was a medium-security women's prison located at the south corner of West 20th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan, directly across the avenue from the Chelsea Piers sports complex. It is highly unusual to find a state penitentiary in the middle of a major city.[1]

Bayview Correctional Facility

Bayview Correctional Facility opposite Chelsea Piers.
Coordinates	40°44′47″N 74°00′27″W
Status	Closed
Security class	Medium security
Population	153 (as of October 2012)
Closed	October 2012
Street address	West 20th Street and 11th Avenue
City	Manhattan
State/province	New York
Country	United States

History

Bayview consisted of one large building and did not have grounds and a fenced perimeter, although an annex was later added. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and it began its life as housing for sailors before being converted in the 1970s into a jail which held a maximum of 323 women, which represented approximately half of New York State's female prison population.[2][3][4]

Covering the entire south wall of Bayview is the Venus, a mural painted by New York artist Knox Martin in 1970. Venus was commissioned by Doris Freedman of CityWalls (later the Public Art Fund). Today, Venus is almost entirely obscured by the neighboring building 100 Eleventh Avenue, completed in 2010.[5]

Featured on the New York State Correction Officer Informational Page's "History of Bayview" is the following statement:

In 1970, prior to the rejuvenation of the district, Bayview's entire south wall was decorated with a red and pink abstract painting, called "Venus" by artist Knox Martin. The mural, conspicuous for its size and beauty, has often been used on post cards. It is also conspicuous—in a culture that regards large, exposed surface as prime advertising space—for not being a billboard. Not surprisingly, advertisers call from time to time with proposals to lease the wall for commercial messages, but Bayview doesn't want its beautiful Venus covered over with a beer or jeans ad. Besides, it's state property.[1]

Before Superstorm Sandy hit in October 2012, Bayview's 153 prisoners were evacuated and sent to other facilities. The building sustained US$600,000 (equivalent to $668,184 in 2019) worth of damage as a result of storm damage and remained closed due to NYS Budgetary reasons. Following the announcement that the building would be sold, a number of plans for its future developed. Among those was a center for women's advocacy under the auspices of the NoVo Foundation, which was abandoned in 2019.[6][7][8] As of 2020, the building's future status is unknown.

References

1. Kasper, Ed (November 2001). "History of Bayview CF - A vertical institution". New York State Correction Officer Informational Page. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
2. Williams, Tanique (8 April 2013). "Prisoner advocates foresee problems after shuttering Bayview and Beacon". The Legislative Gazette. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
3. Dailey, Jessica (2 July 2014). "70 Photos Inside Chelsea's Former Prison Before It's Converted". Curbed. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
4. Bareau, Penelope (10 April 2017). "Past Prisons: Inside the new lives of 7 former NYC jails". 6sqft. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
5. Mindlin, Alex (2 February 2007). "After a 37-Year Run, a Roadside Venus to Be Veiled". Retrieved 9 November 2020.
6. Holliday Smith, Rachel (14 October 2019). "Chelsea 'Women's Building' Backers Break Out of Prison Conversion". Retrieved 8 November 2020.
7. Law, Victoria (22 February 2017). "This Building Was Once a Notorious Women's Prison. Now It's Becoming a Center for Feminist Organizing". The Nation. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
8. "Sandy-damaged prison to be sold in NYC hotspot". MyFoxNY. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.