Ohio State Reformatory

Experience One of Our Nation's Most Historic Treasures.

The Reformatory, located in North central Ohio, gives a convenient, unique location for almost any entertainment purpose. Our past productions include:

• Music Videos: "As seen on MTV", our most recent video was with M.A.D., a New England Rap group urging kids to keep out of prison.
• Roles (Hollywood & Broadway): Broadway recently featured a video of an avant garde dance troop out of Dayton, Ohio. Hollywood has used us as a location for four major motion pictures: Harry and Walter go to New York; Tango and Cash; The Shawshank Redemption; and, Air Force One.
• Periodicals: Details magazine featured a fashion layout of Marilyn Manson, and Kickline magazine used us for a backdrop.
• Stars: Some of the celebrities having visited the Reformatory include: Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Jurgen Prochnow, Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russel, James Caan, Elliot Gould, and Dianne Keaton.

Structure

The Society is maintaining both a museum, and we are also maintaining the physical components of the building. We highlight the following:

• Monument: The Reformatory is the largest castle-like structure in Ohio, and in the top 5 largest in the USA. Comprising 250,000+ square feet, and combining three architectural styles:Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Queen Anne.
• Renaissance: Levi T. Scofield designed the facility to encourage the inmates back to a "rebirth" of their spiritual lives. The architecture itself inspired the inmates away from a sinful lifestyle and towards repentance.
• Prison: The Reformatory houses the world's tallest free-standing steel cell block (6 tiers; 12 ranges, 600 cells)
• Stone: After viewing the massive building, large granite pillars, and elegant construction, some have considered the Reformatory to be a grand architectural achievement, and is also one of the biggest castle-like structures in the USA.

Museum

While enhancing culture, we are providing a location to highlight Criminal Justice in Ohio. To achieve our goal, M.R.P.S. will:

• Maintain: The cornerstone, laid in 1886, is on display, and we provide yearly maintenance to the original facility opened in 1896.
• Restore: Our 5 year Master Plan guides our renovation crews on the areas of the building which need restoration first.
• Preserve: We pro-actively protect both existing and restored architectural elements at the Reformatory.
• Showcase: We display the magnificent Levi T. Scofield creation through public tours and private rentals.

Records

Any documents or stories given to the Society are carefully archived and preserved. The source of these items are:

• Memoirs: Stories related to the Reformatory passed down from generation to generation.
• Relics: Tangible documents, equipment, architectural elements, and other items are being located, stored, and displayed within the facility.
• Prisoners: Former inmates share their struggles & triumphs. Their stories are archived and edited for future tour and slide show scripts.
• Staff: Former employees and their families share their career highlights. Their stories are archived and edited for tour and slide show scripts.

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