Tragedy and the Demise of the Ohio Penitentiary

Tragedy and the Demise of the Ohio Penitentiary. . , The Ohio Penitentiary stood strong and ominous in the Columbus skyline until 1997. Its years of pain, heartache, tragedy, and death took their toll on both inmates and the community. The inmates challenged the premise that the Pen was inescapable many times over the years. Most were caught, and returned to harsh punishment., Death inside the prison came in many forms - epidemic, execution, fire, mistreatment, murder, and riots. All legal executions in Ohio were conducted at the Pen from 1885 through 1979. Inmates were executed by hanging till 1896 when the electric chair was introduced., In 1930, a fire broke out, started by inmates in a failed escape attempt. The inferno killed 322 men locked in their cells, the largest loss of life in any prison fire in the nation's history., As conditions in the prison deteriorated over the years, prisoner unrest grew. In 1968, prisoners took nine guards hostage and rioted. After negotiations broke down, the Ohio National Guard, Ohio Highway Patrol, Columbus Police, and prison personnel stormed the facility. They blasted simultaneous holes in the roof and front wall. The hostages were freed, and five inmates died., The 150-year-old buildings were neglected and not restored after the 1968 riot. Most prisoners were transferred to the maximum-security prison at Lucasville in 1974. US District Court Judge Robert Duncan ordered the facility be closed effective December 31, 1983, and the last prisoners were transferred in August 1984., The last days of the Ohio Penitentiary were difficult for this once stately facility. The walls crumbled, civic groups hosted Halloween parties in the cellblocks, and an aborted attempt to knock down the structure came in 1990., Columbus purchased the building from the state for future development. After much public debate, the buildings were razed in 1997 to make way for the Nationwide Arena District projects.