Will Handcuffs-R-Us Be Sharing Space with Roosevelt Island Public Safety Office?

While walking by the former Blackwell Mini-School building pictured above (504 Main Street) last Friday night I noticed that the second floor lights were in use and some type of ceiling work was being done by workers in the premises. This may be just some normal maintenance work on the space or it could be preparation for a potential occupant of the premises after many years of permanent vacancy. The space has been empty since the Lillies Day school vacated other than the period of time when RIOC was temporarily using the premises as their HQ during the renovation of their offices. Anybody know what is going on here?

As recently as last May, RIOC was considering using this prime Main Street location as the new office for the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department. RIOC President Steve Shane writing in the May 5, 2007 Main Street WIRE reports:

We have initiated a study to move Public Safety from its present location to 504 Main Street. The present space must be overhauled (and for anyone who doubts the imperative, they are invited to drop in for a tour), and rather than keep Public Safety in limbo while doing a rehabilitation and for several programmatic reasons (such as getting those vehicles off Main Street, centralized location, etc.), the idea is very appealing.

Mr. Shane cites the following reasons for moving the Public Safety Department office during an interview with the Main Street Wire:

A more central location once Southtown is completed, getting PSD cars off Main Street, more privacy when people are brought into the station, space for lockers, better "holding pens," and a more separated office area.

Also,

Asked about past plans to use the 504 Main Street location as expansion space for the Youth Center, which occupies adjacent space in Eastwood, Shane said, "There must be other ways to deal with the Youth Center. We’ve got plenty of available space."

Shane said he envisioned setting aside a portion of the building for retail space.

I am sure that a potential retail tenant for this space would love the idea of being next to and sharing space with the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department's "Holding Pens". Maybe retailers like Handcuffs-R-Us or the Nightstick Nook would consider sharing a store with the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department.

On a much, much larger scale, NYC is planning on developing retail space on the ground floor of the Brooklyn House of Detention located along Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. According to the NY Times:

By almost any measure, the Brooklyn House of Detention, 10 stories of razor wire and wire-mesh windows in Boerum Hill, is a repellent sight.

But, the city reasons, it need not be so. So, to attract people other than criminal suspects to the 760-bed jail, the Correction Department has decided to convert part of the complex into 24,000 square feet of retail shopping space.

"The site is going to be redeveloped," Martin F. Horn, the correction commissioner, said in an interview this week. "One way or another, retail is going to be there."

Under Mr. Horn's jail-with-retail plan, three sides of the block that the jail now occupies, along Atlantic Avenue between Smith Street and Boerum Place, would be converted to one-story retail space beginning this summer. The jail entrance, now on Atlantic, would be moved to the fourth side of the block, along State Street.

For a long time I have wished that Roosevelt Island would attract some of the retail amenities that exist near Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I had hoped that it would be some good restaurants, not jails with retail stores.

UPDATE - 12/5/07- RIOC President Steve Shane provides the answer as to what was going on at 504 Main last Friday night:

Simple answer is that RIOC has issued a permit to a film company to do a shoot on the 2nd floor of 504. RIOC receives a fee and is reimbursed for out of pocket expenses (Public Safety, etc.). All in the very normal course of business.

And:

... we are still looking at the 504 option for Public Safety, although waiting for new Architectural consultant to be on board to look at the physical constraints.