The Tombs

The place you are approaching is known as the Tombs, a name that has clung to the Manhattan detention facilities for nearly two centuries. The original building, completed in eighteen thirty-eight, was an imposing structure designed in the Egyptian Revival style. Its granite facade and heavy, brooding aesthetic were modeled after ancient mausoleums, which earned it its grim, enduring nickname. This architectural choice was so distinct that, at the time, some observers even hailed it as the finest example of Egyptian architecture in the United States.