The City of Joliet is pleased to announce that the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet (now known as the Old Joliet Prison Historic Site) was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Register Historic District.  As the oldest surviving and longest operating penitentiary in the State of Illinois, it is a tangible reminder of the long and complex evolution of prison ideology within the State of Illinois, from the construction of the original ISP-Joliet complex in the 1850s and 1860s through 2002, when the Joliet Correctional Center finally closed its doors. The ISP-Joliet is significant as a place of conscience that allows for a critical understanding of the experiences of incarcerated people—the conditions they faced, their struggles for autonomy in a tightly controlled system, and the impact that changing attitudes and philosophies on incarceration had on their daily lives. Throughout its history and most strikingly in the last half of the 20th century, the ISP-Joliet also exemplifies the inequities within the criminal justice system that disproportionately affected communities of color.

This National Register nomination was funded by an Underrepresented Communities grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior through the Underrepresented Community Grant Program. The National Park Service’s Underrepresented Community Grant Program (URC) works towards diversifying the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places. Projects include surveys and inventories of historic properties associated with communities underrepresented in the National Register, as well as the development of nominations to the National Register for specific sites. The City of Joliet, in conjunction with the Joliet Area Historical Museum, applied for and received this grant in 2021.

“The City of Joliet appreciates the collaboration and efforts put forth by City and Joliet Area Historical Museum staff. This is a significant milestone in enhancing local sites for visitors and residents to enjoy.” Said Mayor D’Arcy.

For those interested in learning more about the Prison’s complex history, join historic preservation consultant Lara Ramsey, author of the Illinois State Penitentiary-Joliet National Register Historic District nomination, on Thursday November 30th as she discusses findings from her research project on Prison. The program will take place at 6:00 pm at the Joliet Area Historical Museum Auditorium. For more information on the program, please visit the Museum’s website.

Lara Ramsey remarked: "The National Register nomination for the ISP-Joliet provided a great opportunity to shine a light on the penitentiary’s historical significance through the lens of institutional and social history and to explore how the experiences of its incarcerated population evolved—or did not evolve—through the various philosophical shifts within the criminal justice system through the 19th and 20th centuries. Joliet is uniquely important because it is the only extant prison complex in Illinois that encompasses nearly the entire span of the state's history of incarceration, from the early development of the Auburn system through the era of mass incarceration."

JAHM Chief Executive Officer Greg Peerbolte stated: “The National Register Listing is a transformative moment for the Old Joliet Prison that is the culmination of dedicated work led by City of Joliet, with which the Museum was proud to participate.” He further added, “While we have largely concentrated our efforts on the physical stabilization of the site, it is equally important to craft an interpretative plan rooted in an honest historical narrative. From the Museum’s conversations with a diverse array of community stakeholders over the years, we acknowledge that Joliet’s 165-year-old relationship with the penitentiary is oftentimes complicated and even painful. The National Park Service’s Underrepresented Communities Grant was an ideal vehicle to fund this critical designation which acknowledges important overlooked history.”

The Administration building at the Old Joliet Prison at 1125 Collins Street, Joliet.