SCI Cresson Sits Partially Abandoned, Welcoming Explorers to Wander Its Halls

The State Correctional Institution – Cresson was once a medium-security, all-male correctional facility located off Route 22 in western Pennsylvania. It was operational for many years before it finally closed its doors. Now, it stands partially abandoned and ready for explorers to wander through its halls.

SCI Cresson’s early beginnings

The exterior of SCI Cresson. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission) Inside the prison. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission)

The property that would later become SCI Cresson first opened in 1913 as a tuberculosis sanatorium. Later, it became the Lawrence Frick State Hospital for the mentally ill. However, in 1983, the property was transferred to the US Bureau of Corrections.

Construction began to transform the facility

An abandoned panel. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission) Where the inmates were housed. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission)

The project of turning these older buildings into a correctional facility was not an easy undertaking and was allotted a hefty budget of $20.6 million. Construction began in 1984 and took several years before being completed. SCI Cresson officially opened in 1987, welcoming some notable inmates, including convicted murderer John du Pont.

The prison’s closure

The facility was left to ruin. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission) The prison closed in 2013. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission)

Unfortunately, the operational costs to keep the place running began to build up, and SCI Cresson saw its closure not long after becoming a prison. By June 2013, the doors to the property closed for good, with the State stating that the high costs of maintaining the older buildings were the reason for its ultimate closure.

New life at the property

The wallpaper is peeling in most areas of the prison. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission) SCI Cresson has been given a new lease on life. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission)

Now, most of the property sits abandoned, but a portion of the facility has been taken over by Hydroponic Life, also known as Big House Produce. This company is using the space to build hydroponic equipment and grow produce and hemp but is also using the property in another way.

Exploring SCI Cresson

Explorers can walk the prison’s halls. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission) Appointments are necessary for legal exploration. (Photo Credit: State of Abandoned / with permission)

To help offset operational costs and to build the budget for restoring different areas of the former SCI Cresson prison, the company has begun offering tours to urban explorers. With an appointment, photographers can legally explore the long-abandoned areas of the prison, which sits in its partially vandalized and decayed state.

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A big thank you to the State of Abandoned for permission to use their photos!