America's abandoned prisons are among the most powerful urbex sites in the country — Gothic cell blocks designed to break the human spirit through isolation, solitary confinement dungeons where Al Capone lived in unexpected luxury and a Shawshank Redemption film set where the world's largest free-standing steel cell block still stands six tiers high. Here are the 5 best abandoned prisons in the USA, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Abandoned Prisons Are Among the Most Visited Urbex Sites in America
Abandoned prisons combine the architectural drama of 19th-century Gothic institutional design with some of the darkest chapters of American criminal justice history. The solitary confinement cells of Eastern State Penitentiary, the medieval-scale towers of Ohio State Reformatory and the riot-scarred halls of the Old Idaho Penitentiary all carry a psychological weight that most abandoned buildings simply cannot match.
1. Eastern State Penitentiary – 1829 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — World's First True Penitentiary, Al Capone's Luxury Cell, Closed 1971 (Known Location)
When Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829 it was the most expensive building ever constructed in the United States at $750,000 — a Gothic fortress in Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood designed to reform criminals through total solitary confinement, each prisoner given a Bible, a small workshop and a private exercise yard with no contact with other inmates. The theory was that solitude would produce penitence — giving the institution its name. The reality was psychological destruction. Al Capone was confined here in 1929-1930 and managed to furnish his cell with oriental rugs, fine furniture and a cabinet radio that his guards allowed him to keep. The prison closed in 1971; the Gothic cell blocks, the 30-foot perimeter walls and Capone's original furnished cell are now accessible through the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. The most historically significant abandoned prison in the USA.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Eastern State Penitentiary
2. Ohio State Reformatory – 1886 Mansfield, Ohio — The Shawshank Redemption Prison, World's Largest Free-Standing Steel Cell Block, Closed 1990 (Known Location)
Built between 1886 and 1910 in Romanesque Gothic style, the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield was designed to reform young male offenders through architecture and discipline — its soaring cell block towers, ornate administration building and the East Cell Block, the world's largest free-standing steel cell block at six tiers high, representing Victorian-era confidence that beauty could transform behavior. Over 200 documented deaths occurred within its walls during operations. The reformatory closed in 1990 after inmates successfully sued the state over inhumane conditions. In 1994 the building became globally famous as the filming location for The Shawshank Redemption — one of the highest-rated films in cinema history. Walk the cell blocks where Andy Dufresne was imprisoned. One of the most visited abandoned prisons in the USA.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Old Idaho Penitentiary – 1872 Boise, Idaho — Prison That Operated for 101 Years, Riots and Breakouts, Original Sandstone Cell Blocks Still Standing (Known Location)
The Old Idaho Penitentiary opened in 1872 and operated continuously for 101 years, taking in formidable inmates whose past included riots, breakouts and some of the most violent chapters in Idaho's frontier history. Built from locally quarried sandstone by the prisoners themselves, the original cell blocks maintain the raw medieval quality of a 19th-century frontier prison — thick stone walls, iron bar cells and the gallows where multiple prisoners were hanged. The institution closed in 1973 after inmates rioted and set fire to several buildings. The surviving structures, now managed by the Idaho State Historical Society and open for tours, represent one of the most complete surviving 19th-century frontier penal complexes in the American West. One of the best abandoned prisons in the USA for frontier justice history.
4. Tennessee State Prison – 1898 Nashville, Tennessee — Gothic Victorian Prison That Appeared in The Green Mile, Closed 1992, Towers Still Standing (Known Location)
Built in 1898 in an imposing Victorian Gothic style on the outskirts of Nashville, the Tennessee State Prison was one of the most architecturally dramatic penal institutions in the American South — its castle-like towers, battlements and the sprawling cell block wings creating one of the most cinematically recognizable prison silhouettes in America. Hollywood found it perfectly preserved: The Green Mile (1999) was filmed here, as was Ernest Goes to Jail. The prison closed in 1992 after decades of lawsuits over inhumane conditions; the towers, walls and original cell block structures still stand on the Nashville west side. One of the most cinematically famous and most visually powerful abandoned prisons in the USA. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Old Joliet Prison – 1858 Joliet, Illinois — Gothic Limestone Prison That Appeared in The Blues Brothers, Closed 2002, Campus Accessible for Tours (Known Location)
Built in 1858 from Joliet limestone quarried by the prisoners themselves, the Old Joliet Prison is one of the oldest and most architecturally extraordinary surviving penitentiaries in America — Gothic towers, 25-foot limestone perimeter walls and the original Victorian-era cell house construction giving it a medieval European castle quality utterly unlike any other American prison. The Blues Brothers famously opened with Jake Elwood's release from Joliet Prison in 1980 — the actual Old Joliet Prison. The facility closed in 2002; the Will County Historic Preservation Commission has managed the campus since, offering walking tours. One of the most architecturally significant and most cinematically famous abandoned prisons in the USA. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Exploring Abandoned Prisons in the USA
- Structural hazards: decades of deferred maintenance mean floor collapse risk in unrenovated sections — always test surfaces and never enter areas with compromised ceiling or floor integrity
- Asbestos and lead paint: universal in pre-1980 prison construction — always wear an FFP2 respirator mask in any closed interior space
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your exact location before entering any abandoned prison
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Prisons in the USA
What is the most famous abandoned prison in the USA?
Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia — the 1829 fortress that was the world's first true penitentiary, designed around solitary confinement as a reformative tool. Al Capone was confined here in 1929-1930; his cell with its original luxury furnishings is still accessible. Closed in 1971, it is now one of the most visited historic sites in Pennsylvania.
Where was The Shawshank Redemption filmed?
The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio — an 1886 Gothic prison with the world's largest free-standing steel cell block at six tiers high. The reformatory closed in 1990 and was used as the filming location for the 1994 Frank Darabont film. The Shawshank Redemption is consistently rated among the highest-scoring films in cinema history; the prison now offers Shawshank-themed tours.
Why did so many American prisons close between 1970 and 2000?
A combination of successful prisoner rights litigation establishing constitutional standards for humane conditions, the physical deterioration of 19th-century structures that could not be economically maintained to modern standards and the shift toward larger purpose-built correctional facilities that could house more prisoners more efficiently. The closing of prisons like Eastern State, Joliet, Mansfield and Tennessee State all followed court orders or findings of unconstitutional conditions.
🎯 Summary
America's abandoned prisons are some of the most architecturally extraordinary and most historically charged buildings in the country — the world's first true penitentiary where Al Capone lived in oriental-rug luxury, the Shawshank filming location where the world's largest steel cell block still stands and the Blues Brothers' Joliet Prison carved from its own limestone. Each of these 5 abandoned prisons in the USA captures a different chapter of American criminal justice — and leaves behind buildings that the history of incarceration is written into every stone.
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