State Correctional Institution – Pittsburgh (historically known as the "
Western Penitentiary," "Western Pen," and "The Wall") was a low-to-medium security correctional institution, operated by the
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) is the Pennsylvania state agency that is responsible for the confinement, care and rehabilitation of approximately 37,000 inmates at state correctional facilities funded by the Commonwealth of P ...
, located about five miles west of Downtown
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and within city limits. The facility is on the banks of the
Ohio River, and is located on 21 acres of land. (12 acres within the perimeter fence.) It was the first prison west of the
Atlantic Plain
The Atlantic Plain is one of eight distinct United States physiographic regions. The Atlantic Coast of the United States comprises the coastal states of Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Caro ...
as well as a major
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
prison in 1863–1864.
On January 26, 2017,
Governor of Pennsylvania
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gub ...
announced the closing of this facility.
History
Western Penitentiary was designed by
John Haviland
John Haviland (15 December 1792 – 28 March 1852) was an English-born American architect who was a major figure in American Neo-Classical architecture, and one of the most notable architects working from Philadelphia in the 19th century.
Biog ...
and built in 1826 two miles south-east from the current facility by the architect Strickland. The original site is now home to the
National Aviary
The National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only independent indoor nonprofit aviary in the United States. It is also the country's largest aviary, and the only one accorded honorary "National" status by the United States Con ...
.
During
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
visit to the city March 20–22, 1842, he visited the original prison and some scholars believe he based the classic ''
A Christmas Carol'' on conditions at the facility.

The original location is also famous for housing 118
Confederate soldiers after their capture in
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a diversionary incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11 to July 26, 1863, and is named for the comman ...
a dozen miles to the west. It held them from August 5, 1863 until they were transferred to a military fort in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
on March 18, 1864. Although conditions were good for the time, at least eight confederates died during the winter, one while attempting escape.
The present facility opened on its current site in 1882, operating as one of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
's first correctional facilities, which at the time, held some maximum-security inmates. In January 2005, after transferring the inmates to
SCI-Fayette, the facility was
mothballed
Mothballing may refer to:
* Aircraft boneyard
* Mothball
Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant, sometimes used when storing clothing and other materials susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae (especially clothe ...
. In 2007, the facility re-opened with its current name. It houses low and medium security inmates who require
substance abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
treatment.
The campus was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
in 2022.
G-20 Protests
During the
2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit
The 2009 G20 Pittsburgh Summit was the third meeting of the G20 heads of state/heads of government to discuss financial markets and the world economy.
The G20 is the premier forum for discussing, planning and monitoring international economic ...
, the prison was used as the main processing facility for rioters and protesters that were detained and arrested during the week-long summit.
Notable prisoners
*
George Feigley, the leader of a sex cult, served part of his sentence at Western Penitentiary. In 1983 two of his followers drowned near the prison in what authorities believe was an attempt to break him out. He was first transferred to Western Penitentiary after plans for him to escape from
SCI-Graterford by
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...
were uncovered. After the botched breakout in 1983, Feigley was transferred to
SCI-Huntingdon.
*
Alexander Berkman
Alexander Berkman (November 21, 1870June 28, 1936) was a Russian-American anarchist and author. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century, famous for both his political activism and his writing.
Be ...
, who unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate businessman
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major ...
served 14 years the Western Penitentiary. That experience was the basis of his first book, ''
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist''.
*Nuno Pontes and five others who escaped from the prison feature in the Season 1, Episode 2 of the
National Geographic TV
docudrama
Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".
Docudramas typ ...
series,
''Breakout''. The episode is titled "The Pittsburgh Six".
*
Gerald Mayo, who filed a lawsuit against Satan and his servants in United States District Court.
Fictional Portrayals
The 1978 film ''
The Brink's Job'' the character Stanley Gusciora is sentenced to 20 years at the "Western Penitentiary at Pittsburgh".
References
External links
Western Penitentiaryat Abandoned
{{DEFAULTSORT:State Correctional Institution - Pittsburgh
Government buildings in Pittsburgh
Prisons in Pennsylvania
1826 establishments in Pennsylvania
2017 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh