Visit the Old Allegheny County Jail and Museum

PHLF docents are on hand to tell you the story of the former Allegheny County Jail. Completed in 1886 to the designs of Boston architect H. H. Richardson, it closed on July 27, 1995. The building was then renovated between 1995 and 2001 and adapted for a new use as the Family Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

Working with the leadership of Allegheny County and with funding from the Drue Heinz Trust, our organization coordinated with the former jail’s Deputy Warden Ed Urban and the Allegheny County Juvenile Court to preserve one portion of the cell blocks of the historic jail to create the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum.

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

Cost: Free

To access the Museum: Enter the Family Court building through the main entrance on Ross Street. You will then be processed through a security checkpoint.  

The use of cameras is NOT permitted.