Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility, Former juvenile correctional facility in Whittier, California.
Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility occupied 74 acres along Whittier Boulevard in Whittier, California. Its 1928–29 administration building carries its own state historical designation, and the campus also holds the superintendent's residence, Catholic and Protestant chapels, and a gymnasium. Wards lived in Roosevelt Hall, a dormitory where privacy was scarce and a private cell had to be earned.
The California Legislature authorized a school for juvenile offenders on March 11, 1889, and the Whittier State School opened in July 1891 for boys and girls. Girls were moved to the Ventura School for Girls in 1913, leaving a boys' institution. It was renamed for former superintendent Fred C. Nelles in 1941, and the last boy left in May 2004.
The facility was renamed Fred C. Nelles School for Boys in 1941 to honor the superintendent who led it from 1912 to 1927; "For Boys" was dropped around 1970. In the early 20th century the school was known for its job training and music courses, among the best in the state. Its football team was a rival of Whittier High School.
The 74-acre site on Whittier Boulevard is fenced and closed to the public; it has served as a filming backlot, with scenes for Blow shot there. The 1928–29 administration building carries its own state historical designation, and the campus also holds the superintendent's residence, two chapels and a gymnasium. In 2015 the Whittier Conservancy sued the state to block the site's sale.
The closed campus has served as a filming backlot: the film Blow, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, shot scenes there, using the site's exteriors as a fictional state execution facility whose name appears in several shots. The television show The Othersiders also visited and reported hearing girls laughing in the chapel.
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