Visit The Old Allegheny County Jail and Museum

Open on the first and third Mondays of the month except on holidays.

Visit at your convenience between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

A PHLF docent is on hand to tell you the story of the place. Completed in 1886 to the designs of Boston architect H. H. Richardson and in use until July 27, 1995, the former Allegheny County Jail was renovated between 1999 and 2001 to house the Family Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

A portion of one of the cell blocks has been preserved in the “Old Allegheny County Jail Museum.” The Jail Museum was created through a grant from the Drue Heinz Trust to PHLF, in cooperation with the Allegheny County Juvenile Court and Curator Ed Urban, former Deputy Warden.

The Jail Museum, which is located in Downtown Pittsburgh at 440 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, opened in 2005.

Enter the Family Court Facility through the main Ross Street entrance. You will go through a security checkpoint, and the use of cameras is NOT permitted. 

For further information––or to double-check that the Jail Museum will be open on a particular Monday, contact Mary Lu Denny: at marylu@phlf.org or call 412-471-5808, ext. 527.