December 17, 2005, NY Post–A nearby empty jailhouse isn’t deterring buyers from purchasing at The Smith, a new 50-unit condominium at 75 Smith St. in downtown Brooklyn. Despite its locale near Atlantic Avenue’s 11-story House of Detention, there are nine contracts out at The Smith, which opened for sales in mid-November. Prices for one-bedrooms start at $550,000, while duplex penthouses start at $985,000. “Buyers have concerns,” says Larry Kruysman, director of sales at the Sunshine Group, of the jail. “But judging from the number of contracts out, they aren’t that concerned.” Celebs like the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard have bunked at the prison, which shut down in summer 2003 due to the city’s low inmate population. According to Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Antenen, the jail might reopen in 2007, when a Bronx jail closes, or it could reopen before that time if prisoner numbers rise. But there’s a silver lining: Antenen says there’s a possibility that retail stores will be added to the jail’s ground floor, like the Tombs jail in Manhattan.
Residences [75 Smith] GMAP
Smith Street Detention [NY Post]
Set Speed Condo Report: 75 Smith [Brownstoner]