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 main building of the Joliet prison dates from 1858 and its annex, located across the road, from 1896. The latter remained reserved for women until 1932. Joliet Prison was the largest prison in the United States at the time and housed up to 1,800 prisoners simultaneously. During the 20th century, many Chicago gang thugs were interned there. It became too small and dilapidated (there were still 1,156 prisoners in 2000) and was closed in 2002. All the inmates were transferred to the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill. For many years, Joliet Prison was the main execution site in Illinois, using the electric chair for this purpose. While the first film devoted to it, Joliet Prison, dates from 1914, it was not until 1980 that the prison really entered the world of cinema, thanks to John Landis' film, The Blues Brothers. Although other films or series used the premises for the shooting of a few scenes, it was the first season of the Prison Break series in 2005 that gave the prison the opportunity to burst the screen as Fox River State Penitentiary. Eight information panels are placed on the outdoor car park to provide information on the history of the site. The neo-Gothic style of the complex gives the place a very special character, which can be discovered during a guided tour. The prison is now an abandoned building, to be avoided at night.
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