Ohio State Reformatory
N 40° 46.988 W 082° 30.178
17T E 373182 N 4515769
This historic and famous prison began construction in 1886,opened in 1896. Most prisoners were moved out by 1972 and the prison was closed in 1984. It has been owned by the city of Columbus since 1995 and is listed on the NRHP.
Waymark Code: WM2RAM
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2007
Views: 59
This prison was made famous by the filming here of The Shawshank Redemption and other movies.
According to the brochure from the prison, "The Reformatory is the largest castle-like structure in Ohio and is one of the five largest in the United States. It comprises of more than 250,000 square feet and combines three architectural styles: Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne. It houses the world's largest freestanding steel cell block, including six tiers, 12 ranges and 600 cells."
from the website of:
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
The Ohio Penitentiary
Built in 1834, the Ohio Penitentiary was actually the second Ohio Penitentiary, the third state prison, and the fourth jail in early Columbus. In April 1955 it housed an all-time high of 5,235 prisoners. Most prisoners were removed from the prison by 1972 with the completion of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, and the facility was closed in 1984. The state sold the Ohio Penitentiary to the City of Columbus in 1995.
Much debate has surrounded the future of the Ohio Penitentiary. When thoughts turned to demolishing the penitentiary, the preservationist community mounted a campaign to save at least five historic buildings on Spring Street. The City of Columbus is cooperating with preservationists on a federal review of these buildings. However, crews are scheduled to begin tearing down the remaining 15 buildings in March, 1997. Demolition is expected to take three to four months. In addition to the above-ground demolition work, the city must hire a contractor to remove or minimize underground contamination remaining from decades of industrial activity and coal-burning at the site. The 23-acre site, bounded by Maple, West and Spring Streets and Neil Avenue, was the proposed location of a soccer stadium of up to 35,000 seats. However, on May 6, 1997, Franklin County voters rejected a three-year sales tax increase which would have helped finance this project. The future of the Pen site remains unknown.
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