City Prison (1902) ca. 1939

The City Prison on Centre Street, nicknamed the Tombs after type of Egyptian edifice that inspired the original building, was notorious for its poor incarceration conditions. This imposing Gothic structure, the second prison erected at this site, opened in 1902 and contained 320 cells and two chapels. Prisoners were led to trial at the Criminal Courts Building next door through the mid-air Bridge of Sighs connecting the two buildings. This structure was replaced in 1939 with the present city prison located across the street.