JOLIET CORRECTIONAL CENTER
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Main building of the Joliet prison and its annex with a very particular character in neo-gothic style
The prison's main building was inaugurated in 1858, in the midst of the Midwest's industrial expansion. Built of local limestone in an austere neo-Gothic style, the imposing structure long impressed, even frightened, local residents. A female annex was added in 1896, and remained in use until 1932. In its heyday, Joliet was one of the country's largest prisons, holding up to 1,800 inmates. Many notorious Chicago gang members were incarcerated there in the 20th century. Deemed dilapidated and unsuitable (it still housed 1,156 prisoners in 2000), the prison was permanently closed in 2002. Inmates were transferred to the Stateville Correctional Center in nearby Crest Hill. For a time, Joliet also served as a place of execution, notably with the electric chair, before this function was transferred to Stateville.
A film location since the early days of cinema (the film Joliet Prison dates back to 1914), it became emblematic thanks to the film The Blues Brothers (1980), and later the 2005 series Prison Break, where it appears under the fictitious name of Fox River State Penitentiary.
Information panels in the outdoor parking lot trace the site's history. Today, the former prison attracts the curious and can be visited on guided tours. The site is fenced in and secure, and visitors are advised not to venture out outside scheduled hours.
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