1. Plan and Massing

The original 1938 portion of the building is a rectangular-plan structure with monumental massing. A central 10-story unit is flanked by 8-story wings that terminate in pavilions. A metal mesh-enclosed recreation facility is visible on the roof above them. An addition appended at the rear of the building consists of a large square-plan structure connected to the center of the original 1938 building via a 7-story connection. The façade of the original portion of the structure measures 272 feet across; the width of the entire structure (from the front façade to the rear of the 1963 addition) is roughly 200 feet.

2. Structural System

The building is a steel- and concrete-framed structure.

3. Description of Facades

The Bronx house of Detention faces east onto River Avenue and is bounded by Cromwell Avenue to the northwest. East 150th Street is located to the south of the building and East 151st Street is located to the northeast.

Above is a detail section scanned from a June 2006 Bronx House of Detention photo by David S. Allee, an image of which appears across the top of this web page. The detail shows a fenced enclosure on the ex-jail roof.

The front (east) façade of the Bronx house of Detention, as previously described, is composed of a 10- story central pavilion flanked by 8-story wings that terminate with 8-story pavilions. This layout and fenestration create a symmetrical tripartite façade. The roofs of the three pavilions are capped with stepped parapets which form truncated pyramid shapes. The flat roofs of the wings are surmounted by a metal mesh-enclosed recreation space that projects several feet above the shallow roof parapet.

With its ten-bay wings, the façade has a horizontal emphasis. This is visually contrasted, however, by the verticality of the narrow ribbon windows that run continuously between floor levels, creating the appearance of long dark striations along the facade. The windows are framed in a single course of recessed brick. The window sills consist of wide stone bands surmounted by simple projecting sills.

The central unit of the structure is five bays wide, featuring three closely spaced window strips in the center of the façade flanked by two more widely spaced windows. The wings are each ten bays wide. Although story levels are not easily discernible, these measure 11 feet between stories one through nine, and approximately 15’6” between the basement and the first story. The end pavilions have no windows on this facade, with the exception of one very small rectangular aperture at the top of each pavilion.

Above is a detail section scanned from a June 2006 Bronx House of Detention photo by David S. Allee, an image of which appears across the bottom of this web page. The detail shows part of the roof suggestive of a pyramid.

A wide limestone frieze band is located along the top of the center pavilion bearing bas-relief patterns depicting stylized eagles and other designs. The central building entry has a limestone frame set within a wide limestone ashlar surround with a limestone band at the top inscribed with the words “Bronx County Jail.” The entry is surmounted by a transom window with decorative metal grate and the words “Bronx HDM.” It is accessed via a set of five stairs. Flanking the doorway on the stair landing are limestone eagle sculptures set on low pedestals.

A simple metal fence which runs along the perimeter of the area in front of the building has an ornate gate aligned with the central entry of the building. An iron sculptural feature surmounts the gate entry and depicts the seal of the City of New York topped with an eagle and flanked by the figures of a Native American and a settler.

Two small 1-story additions have been appended to the north and south ends of the front facades. The square-plan north addition, which was added in 1971, measures roughly thirty feet on each side and has one large window on each exposed façade. A simple metal picket fence is visible along the perimeter of the flat roof. The construction date of the south addition, which is similar in dimensions and appearance but lacks a rooftop fence, is unknown.