The Salem Jail opened in 1813. Harry Houdini staged an escape there in 1906, and Albert DeSalvo, known as the Boston Strangler, served time there in the '60s.
In 1984, living conditions were so bad — according to Curbed, detainees used chamber pots for bathrooms — that a few inmates sued the county, and the jail closed in 1991. Until then, it was oldest active penitentiary in the US.
For the next two decades, the building laid abandoned until developers transformed it into 23 luxury apartments and a restaurant. The $10.5 million project used both state and federal tax credits, the National Trust for Historic Preservation says.