The world of repurposed historic penitentiaries
The world of repurposed historic penitentiaries
People who spend the night at some former prisons enjoy an ambiance and amenities very different from those who stayed there in the past.
People entering the red turreted building with barred windows pass by members of a chain gang dressed in striped shirts and trousers swinging long-handled sledgehammers. Once inside, the visitors undergo a processing procedure to register them as new inmates at the St. John’s Old County Jail in St. Augustine, Florida.
Rather than being incarcerated, these folks are checking out a historic prison which today also serves as a museum. It’s one of the dozens of former prisons nationwide rehabilitated and repurposed to fill roles very different from their original function.
From museums to housing development, a sound production stage to a brewery, buildings that once were home to people convicted of a crime now welcome the public and combine an introduction to their storied past with various new functions. These facilities are located around the country, and one or more may be nearby or where you plan to travel.
The charming exterior of the St. Johns jail fits comfortably into the picturesque, historic town where it’s located. It was built in 1891 and housed prisoners until 1953. Tours include the men’s and women’s cells, sheriff’s living quarters, and a display of weapons.
People who spend the night at some former prisons enjoy an ambiance and amenities very different from those who stayed there in the past.
Guests of the aptly named Jailhouse Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, encounter barred doors and window grills, but the sizable bedrooms are far from cell-like.
The structure, which was initially built in 1772 as Newport’s jail and police station, didn’t turn out to be a particularly secure prison, and several of its temporary inhabitants escaped. One was a mason who used his skill to remove bricks from around the window of his cell.
An even more luxurious setting greets those who check into the ironically named Liberty Hotel in Boston, rich in history and ornate decorations. It occupies the former Charles Street Jail, an architectural gem dating back to 1851 in which the city’s ex-mayor James M. Curley and civil rights activist Malcolm X spent time behind bars.
While the original exterior remains largely unchanged, the chic, modern décor inside represents the latest in sumptuousness. Hints of the past include French-designed windows that provided much more light than any other prison at the time; the hotel’s signature Clink restaurant, where tables sit adjacent to the original brick wall and jail cell façades, and sardonically named Liberty Bar.
A complete distillery is featured at Brushy Mountain’s distillery.
A complete distillery is a feature at Brushy Mountain, Tennessee’s first maximum-security prison where the state’s most violent criminals were incarcerated. Former prison guards and non-violent inmates are on-hand to answer questions posed by people taking the self-guided tour. A map leads them to more than 30 stations where the story of what happened there in the past is depicted.
The Brushy Mountain Distillery, the self-proclaimed “world’s first (legal) prison distillery,” is accessible and free to visitors. A tasting bar offers samples of beverages with appropriate names like Brimstone and End of the Line Moonshine.
The historic Lorton Correctional Complex in Virginia, where suffragettes were force-fed and imprisoned during the fight for women's right to vote.
Milk was the featured beverage at a dairy farm part of the Lorton Correctional Complex in Virginia. It was established in 1910, closed in 2001, and occupied one of the area's most beautiful parcels of land. Now named the Laurel Hill district, it is considered among the country's most imaginative examples of adaptive prison reuse.
Against the backdrop of the original prison dorms, cell blocks, and guard towers listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a mixed-use community of housing, office spaces, and retail establishments is being developed. If you go there, you also may enjoy the Workhouse Arts Center, which includes artists’ studios, galleries, theaters, and a museum that traces the history of the former prison.
The art of filming takes center stage at the sprawling Broadway Stages waterfront campus on Staten Island, New York. It uses former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility buildings, some of which have been converted into sound stages for various productions. The sets have been used in filming the Netflix series Orange is the New Black and the jewelry heist movie Ocean’s Eight.
Some formerly notorious prisons have become popular tourist attractions.
Mention “penitentiary” and Alcatraz is likely to come to mind. Those who visit learn that the island in San Francisco Bay served as a Civil War fortress, lighthouse, military prison, and one of the most notorious federal penitentiaries in American history.
People who take the tour ferry to reach it may experience the island's isolation, hear the voices of former residents and get an overview of prison incarceration in the United States.
In recent years, the inmate population throughout the country has declined for several reasons. Whatever the cause, one result of that trend is the abandonment of correctional facilities.
Some cities, states, and communities have reclaimed those locations to fill a variety of other uses. These redesigned and reconfigured places offer opportunities for travelers to relive often tragic, sometimes thought-provoking stories while enjoying their new-born uses.
Victor Block
After gallivanting throughout the United States and to more than 75 other countries worldwide and writing about what he sees, does, and learns, Victor Block retains the travel bug. He believes that travel is the best possible education and claims he still has much to learn. He loves to explore new destinations and cultures, and his stories about them have won many writing awards.
