Urbahn designed the new
500-bed detention facility based on a unit management concept with
three units of 138 inmates each, a fourth for special housing of 36
inmates, and a fifth for 50 inmates who provide cadre services.
The building provides a transition among large-scale civic buildings
to the south, mid-rise commercial buildings to the west, and the small-scale
of the Chinatown to the east. This was achieved by designeing a two-story
frontage along Centre, Walker, and Baxter Streets as shops that step
back from
the property line.
Community involvement in the design process resulted in the development
of the first mixed-use jail, in which street front is set aside for
commercial and community use, with inmates confined to the tower. In
addition, the tall tower allowed us to leave a third of the property
open.
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