New York Women's House of Detention, Art Deco prison in Greenwich Village, New York, US
The New York Women's House of Detention is a former women's jail in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, located at the corner of Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The eleven-story concrete building with barred windows served as a city detention facility until its closure, and the site now operates as a community garden.
The jail opened in 1932 to replace an older facility that had stood on the same site since the late 19th century. It closed in 1974 after growing opposition from neighbors and advocates, and the building was later demolished.
The building held activists and writers who kept in contact with people on the street by shouting through the barred windows. This direct exchange made the prison unusually visible and connected to the neighborhood around it.
The site is now a public community garden and can be visited freely during opening hours. A historical marker on the grounds explains the former use of the space and is a good starting point for understanding the site.
During a 1970 rally, civil rights activist Angela Davis spoke to inmates through the building's walls from the street outside. The jail had a public presence that few city prisons have ever had, making it a visible symbol in its own time.
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