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Joliet officials eye closed prison as tourist draw

Joliet officials believe a massive limestone prison featured in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers” could become a tourist destination.

The infamous Joliet Correctional Center along the old Route 66 has fallen into disrepair since it closed almost a decade ago. But local officials and activists say it has the potential to attract people who want a peek inside the prison, which opened in the 1850s.

Joliet Area Historical Society Executive Director Tony Contis tells the Chicago Tribune that people from around the world visit the prison and want to go inside.

Other prisons successfully converted to museums include Alcatraz in San Francisco and Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

But officials say remediating environmental contamination and making needed repairs at the Joliet prison could cost tens of millions of dollars.