In May 1937, Tallahassee’s Daily Democrat described the new Leon County Jail “as modern and attractive as any in the state.”[1] To fund the building’s construction, the county had applied for money from the U S Public Works Administration (PWA), but there was a substantial delay in Congress’s approval of the subsidy. The county therefore spent just under $100,000 of its own money to construct the jail and even rejected the PWA funds once approved. Tampa-based architect M. Leo Elliott designed the building and T.A. Monk of Tallahassee was the building contractor. The two men also simultaneously designed and oversaw the construction of Leon High School.
The county built the jail just east of an existing jail with the safety of the community in mind. Its security features highlighted the building’s up-to-date technology. The building was made of reinforced concrete, had steel bars on the windows, and had “tool steel cells that c[ouldn’t] be cut.”[2] Another technological advancement was the wiring of the jail so that one electric button opened and closed the doors of every cell.
Leon County divided the jail by sex with space for 26 women and 72 men, with additional isolation and detention cells for men. The old jail had not contained a large enough space to accommodate all prisoners outside of their cells, but in the new building all the inmates could congregate in common areas on the lower level. The jail was a self-contained entity with its own laundry facility, hospital ward, and garage for police vehicles. Its design also incorporated convenient living quarters for the jailer, which included a parlor and separate kitchen, in contrast to the previous arrangement, where the jailer lived in a separate annex. The building’s distinctive exterior design and interior features signified Leon County’s investment in modernity and progress.
[1] “New Jail To Be Ready in About Month.” The Daily Democrat, Apr. 4, 1937—Morning, 7.
[2] “New Jail To Be Ready in About Month.” The Daily Democrat, Apr. 4, 1937—Morning, 7.
The county built the jail just east of an existing jail with the safety of the community in mind. Its security features highlighted the building’s up-to-date technology. The building was made of reinforced concrete, had steel bars on the windows, and had “tool steel cells that c[ouldn’t] be cut.”[2] Another technological advancement was the wiring of the jail so that one electric button opened and closed the doors of every cell.
Leon County divided the jail by sex with space for 26 women and 72 men, with additional isolation and detention cells for men. The old jail had not contained a large enough space to accommodate all prisoners outside of their cells, but in the new building all the inmates could congregate in common areas on the lower level. The jail was a self-contained entity with its own laundry facility, hospital ward, and garage for police vehicles. Its design also incorporated convenient living quarters for the jailer, which included a parlor and separate kitchen, in contrast to the previous arrangement, where the jailer lived in a separate annex. The building’s distinctive exterior design and interior features signified Leon County’s investment in modernity and progress.
[1] “New Jail To Be Ready in About Month.” The Daily Democrat, Apr. 4, 1937—Morning, 7.
[2] “New Jail To Be Ready in About Month.” The Daily Democrat, Apr. 4, 1937—Morning, 7.
