Locked Up in the Art Studio
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #51
Today we’re in Lorton, Virginia, south of Washington, D.C. and almost at the southern edge of Fairfax County. This is our building, or rather our complex of buildings. It’s a center for arts and education, with artists’ studios, performances, and classes.
It actually looks like a college, doesn’t it? And that would fit thematically with its current use. But it’s not.
What else might resemble a college? (It was built in the early 1900s, by the way.)
Well, an old-fashioned prison. That’s how this complex of buildings began life. It’s called the Workhouse Arts Center, which nods to its origin as both a prison and a workhouse (it began as a farm where prisoners were required to work.) Here’s the satellite view of the whole complex:
Here’s the Wikipedia page on the building’s term as a prison, when it was known as the Lorton Reformatory, and later as the Lorton Correctional Complex. And here’s the page on its current use as the arts center. (Google Maps describes it as “classes & culture in a former prison.” Doesn’t that sound like the subtitle of a book?)
The prison was known for its terrible conditions, but it’s kind of amazing how the actual buildings carry very little of a prison vibe with them. It reminds me of this piece of infrastructure in Richmond, Virginia that I had this reaction to:
Believe it or not, the Workhouse Arts Center is not the only outdated, unusual building to become an arts center. In Old Town Alexandria, there’s a similar spot hosting artists’ studios, called the Torpedo Factory. It did, in fact, used to be a torpedo factory! I featured it here.
Do you know of any such dramatic adaptive reuse projects wherever you live?
Related Reading:
A Magnificent Liquor Store in High Bridge, NJ
What Do You Think You’re Looking At? #23
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I guessed as soon as I saw the title of today's post that it would be the old Lorton prison, and I was right! My wife and I used to live a few miles from there.
As for other adaptive reuses, one thing that I've been especially interested in over the years is how facilities at old military bases have been reused in different ways. One notable case that comes to mind is the old Navy boot camp out in San Diego; the place has been rebranded as Liberty Station and turned into housing and shopping, with many of the old buildings (some of which date to the same era as the prison in Lorton) being re-used for retail and restaurants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Station,_San_Diego
If you were to go just a couple of miles to the northeast, a huge part of the prison is being converted into a retail center - complete with guard towers, 20 foot walls and, get this, limited access into the area. It is called Liberty and I have no idea how it can actually function as a retail space in this day and age. But it is under development and should be cool to see when it is all finished (there are a few stores open). Also associated with the prison and found on a number of paths that cross the new park areas are little hidden gems like a large decaying dairy that can be accessed, surreptitiously of course, and is fun to wander through and nearby a series of outbuildings. Worth the short hike.