Right in Our Region
Searching for Scares at Old Joliet Prison By Jermaine Pigee, managing editor
W
hen people outside our region think about Joliet, there’s one landmark that quickly comes to mind: the Joliet Correctional Center, also known as the Old Joliet Prison. “The old prison is almost as old as the city of Joliet itself,” says Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. “Joliet has this reputation as a prison city, so if you go around the country and around the world and tell people you’re from Joliet, they’ll probably mention the prison.” John Belushi’s “Joliet Jake” character, from the classic film “The Blues Brothers,” played off that reputation. In later years, the prison, located at 1125 Collins St., appeared in television shows like “Prison Break” and “Empire.” Instead of running from the city’s infamous past, Peerbolte and his team
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have fully embraced the old prison and its ability to attract tourists. Since 2018, the Joliet Area Historical Museum has operated tours at the nowshuttered facility. “Instead of letting the building sit vacant, we’ve turned it into an economic development driver to help facilitate that interest,” Peerbolte says. “Instead of having people drive up, take pictures and leave, we decided to monetize it.” The prison opened in 1858, just six years after Joliet was incorporated. The main complex’s castle-like facade was built from local limestone and designed by Chicago architect W.W. Boylington, designer of the Chicago Water Tower. By 1878, the prison had nearly 2,000 inmates. Despite calls for the prison to be closed over the years because of unsanitary and dangerous conditions, it stayed
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open until 2002, when former Gov. George Ryan closed it to save money. “The City of Joliet and the Joliet Area Historical Museum partnered to reclaim the building and clean up the site,” Peerbolte says. “It still retains that abandoned feel and aesthetic.” There are several ways to explore the old prison grounds, starting with a self-guided tour in which visitors stroll at their own pace. “There’s a series of interpretive signage on the site, which explains the history of the prison, the different buildings on the site and what they were used for,” Peerbolte says. “We also talk about the site’s architecture.” The guided history tour puts visitors in the company of a certified museum Cover photo by Heritage Corridor CVB
