A historic Chelsea building is being transformed into affordable housing, marking a significant shift from its previous uses. Located at West 20th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan, the structure originally served as the Seamen’s House YMCA in the 1930s and later functioned as a women’s prison before its closure in 2009.
Designed by the architects behind the Empire State Building, Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the eight-story brick building features Art Deco styling with nautical themes, reflecting its seafaring origins. Initially opened in 1931, it provided accommodations for merchant sailors and stewardesses working on ocean liners, notable as the first of its kind to welcome women. An adjacent building served as a laundry facility for several YMCAs in the city.
After the state acquired the property in 1967, it first operated as a residential drug treatment center before converting to a correctional facility in 1974. The building’s former use as a prison was marred by reports of sexual abuse, with concerns linked to its design as a repurposed structure rather than a purpose-built correctional institution. A series of legal cases filed on behalf of former inmates highlighted the vulnerabilities posed by the facility's layout.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused extensive flooding, damaging infrastructure and forcing the evacuation of inmates. Although repairs were made, the building remained vacant. Previous plans to convert it into office space for nonprofits supporting women did not materialize. Amid a growing housing shortage in New York, the state issued a new request for proposals in 2023 that prioritized affordable and supportive housing.
The redevelopment is now being led by Camber Property Group, specializing in affordable housing, working in partnership with the Osborne Association, a nonprofit that provides services to incarcerated individuals. The two organizations acquired the property earlier this year for a symbolic $1. The $167 million renovation will preserve the exterior while gutting most of the interior. Notably, the original chapel will be retained and adapted into a lounge and computer lab.
The project will create 131 apartments, with more than half reserved for people 50 and older recently released from prison. Supportive services will be provided onsite, including offices for case managers and spaces for group counseling. The remaining apartments will be available to residents earning between 60 to 80 percent of the area median income, allocated through a housing lottery. Additional amenities include a community space and a 15-bed transitional residence for adults with serious mental illness, each with separate entrances.
Architectural elements from the building’s past will be incorporated into the design. Terra-cotta details at the roofline will be recreated, old pool tiles reused in a new lobby, and stained-glass windows preserved. The renovation also aims to restore a chapel mural depicting a ship and safeguard parts of a Knox Martin mural partially obscured by a neighboring luxury tower. Throughout the renovation, sustainable features such as all-electric systems and heat pumps will be installed.
Construction began recently with interior demolition underway and is projected to take approximately three years, partly due to environmental remediation requirements. The developers and architects emphasize the goal of reimagining the space as a refuge rather than a place of confinement, while honoring its layered history within the changing Chelsea neighborhood.