The Women's Building

A former women’s prison is reinvented as a social justice resource providing a home for organizations working to benefit the lives of girls and women, worldwide.

Update from NOVO:
"With heavy hearts, we have come to the very difficult decision that we can no longer continue with the redevelopment of the former Bayview Correctional Facility into The Women’s Building. However, there will be a futureNY State RFP and we will be working collaboratively with numerous groups to respond."

The Women’s Building represents what is possible when the potential of girls and women is cultivated, rather than locked away. In keeping with the building's mission, the development process will be led by women. From architecture and design through construction to facilities management, the teams responsible for developing, building and operating the building will be guided by an array of talented women.

The Story
of The Women's Building

Formerly a women’s prison, the building is to be transformed into a global hub for the girls’ and women’s rights movement. The Lela Goren Group as the developer agent for the project and now as development advisor, identified the project’s home, successfully navigated the RFP process, and assembled a best-in-class team. The Women’s Building will offer social justice activists the resources and support they need to drive cultural shifts. Activists have always embraced collaboration, despite the realities of their physical settings: small, far-flung and disconnected offices, in locations dictated by rent.

More than a workspace, The Women's Building will be a vertical neighborhood, designed to spark serendipitous interactions, build partnerships, create networks and grow sustainable solutions.

The social justice work inside of the building’s walls will be dedicated to improving lives on the outside – starting with the residents and businesses that surround it. It will pull the outside in, through public facilities, lectures, conference, performances and art shows.