Dubuque County Jail, Egyptian Revival prison in Dubuque, Iowa.
Dubuque County Jail is a limestone structure with Egyptian style elements and three rows of cells on the eastern side of the main chamber. Narrow metal bridges connect the different levels and allow access to the upper cells from inside.
The building was constructed in 1857 during a time of economic hardship, and architect John Francis Rague designed it with cast iron doors and thick stone walls. During the Civil War, a basement cell block served to hold captured Confederate soldiers.
The building displays Egyptian style elements including sun disk symbols and decorative cast iron entrance columns. These design features were part of a new philosophy about how to manage prisoners and expressed contemporary ideas about order and discipline.
Visiting requires planning ahead, as the building is not constantly open to the public. It helps to contact local authorities or a nearby museum to clarify access and current conditions.
The basement cell block had a distinctive curved ceiling, an unusual architectural solution for housing difficult prisoners. This hidden zone differed greatly from the structure of the upper floors and shows how different parts of the building served distinct purposes.
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