Ohio State Reformatory, State prison and museum in Mansfield, United States
Ohio State Reformatory is a former state prison and current museum in Mansfield, Ohio. The building features tall stone walls, arched windows and cell blocks arranged around a central yard.
The state opened the facility in autumn 1896 and received inmates for nearly a century. Courts ordered its closure in winter 1990 after lawsuits challenged the conditions inside.
Fans of a well-known prison film travel here to walk through rooms and corridors that appeared on screen. Many visitors pause at the tunnel entrance and the warden's office, recreating moments from the movie.
Visitors choose between daytime tours through the administrative rooms and cell blocks or evening visits that focus on stories. Hallways can be long and uneven, so comfortable shoes help.
The eastern cell block rises six stories and holds the record as the tallest freestanding steel cell structure anywhere. The entire construction consists of interlocking steel beams that stand without outer supporting walls.
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