3. Baxter Street, Manhattan Detention Complex
Since Haas’ murals are inextricably linked to the architecture of New York City, they are often threatened as much as any building in the way of development. One such threatened work is his mural on the Manhattan Detention Complex, also known as the Tombs, in Chinatown. The mural appears on the facade of the nearly windowless building that faces Baxter Street. The multi-paneled set of murals depicts immigrant life in the Lower East Side. The scenes show people filing off of a ship, performing various manual labor tasks, and taking part in other everyday activities.
In 2021 when it was announced that the Tombs would be demolished, Haas and artist Kit-Yin Snyder – who has a sculpture on top of the building – filed a lawsuit to protect their work. Though the suit had strong support from the local community, the artists ultimately lost. Haas’ murals, which he says were the most challenging of all his New York City pieces, are fated to go down with the building. “It took 7 years and a painted panel had to be redone to satisfy the community. The horror of the destruction has added to the strife,” Haas says. There are ongoing efforts to stop the demolition of the current jail facilities to make way for a new “mega jail” tower.
