I’m just back from a tour of Tribeca Twelve, the “alcohol and drug free housing for college students in recovery” that the famed Hazelden rehab center has opened at 283 W. Broadway (between Lispenard and Canal). What they’re doing is great, and I was proud when the idea first came up and Tribecans didn’t get nervous about having a halfway house (I called it that too) in the neighborhood. But with the ribbon-cutting scheduled for tomorrow, I figured that what locals would really like—rather than an article about the facility’s mission, success rate, etc.—is a thorough peek, and Hazelden obliged.

Here’s the facade. It’s hard to tell from the exterior photo, but the glass is lined with a translucent image of woods on Hazelden’s main campus in Minnesota. Behind them is the lobby.

Then we went to the roof. By “we” I mean executive director Barbara Kistenmacher (who was lovely even if she called me Erika) and public relations rep Christine Anderson (also lovely!). Hazelden held a competition for students of architecture, landscape, and interior design to offer suggestions for the roof. The result is both areas for residents to be independent and introspective as well as a spot for communal engagement. The non-Sheraton views are wonderful.

You may recall that the building was to be apartments called Tribeca Five, before the bust. As Tribeca Twelve, the five residential floors each house six students, who are expected to move in this month. “There are half a million college students in New York City,” said Kistenmacher, “but until now there has been no housing just for them.” The top two floors are for women. We toured the penthouse unit. It’s 2,200 square feet, and the living room, dining room, and kitchen are pretty darn nice. And there’s laundry on each floor! The bedrooms, meanwhile, are dorm-style, although the quad has a heck of a bathroom.

Because the bedrooms are pretty tight, there’s also a study room.

From there we went to the basement, where community AA meetings will be held. There’s going to be some bamboo growing behind the windows, although I thought the brick was nice. If it’s available, the outpatient clinic on the ground floor (the second photo) will be used.

And that’s it! Welcome to the neighborhood, Tribeca Twelve!