A New York City building that once housed female prisoners is getting a new life — this time as an affordable housing complex overlooking the Hudson River.
The property at 550 W. 20th St. in Manhattan was built in 1931, according to CoStar data. Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Architects designed the Art Deco building, which served as the Seamen's House YMCA, across from the Chelsea piers along the Hudson, until New York state took it over in 1978 and turned it into a women's medium-security and work-release prison called Bayview Correctional Facility.
The building's electrical systems were flooded and destroyed in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy. It has sat vacant for well over a decade, state officials said.
On Tuesday, construction crews began work on a $167 million transformation that will turn the building into 131 affordable rental units.
Camber Property Group and the Osborne Association will develop the Chelsea Beacon, which will include 15 units dedicated to short-term transitional housing for people with mental illnesses and 9,300 square feet of community space. Camber and Osborne took ownership of the roughly 100,000-square-foot property in July 2024, according to a press release from the state.
The project is underway as New York City faces a 700,000-unit housing shortage, according to a city analysis published last month.
"This building once served as a prison, but its future is filled with possibility and promise for residents and the extraordinary neighborhood that is welcoming them home," Osborne CEO Jonathan Monsalve said Tuesday during a news conference for the project.
Developers and state officials said the building will be marketed to formerly incarcerated New Yorkers but open to anyone meeting the income limits: households earning up to 80 percent of the area's median income, which is $95,040 for one person, $122,160 for a family of three and $135,680 for a family of four. Seven apartments will be set aside for residents with mobility impairments, and three will be equipped for residents with hearing and visual disabilities.
During the renovation, construction crews plan to reuse the property's main and annex buildings but also construct an addition within the current courtyard. The former prison chapel will be turned into a space for programs, and the tiles from the former pool will be moved to a new lobby.
The renovation is scheduled for completion in 2029.