Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud
Encyclopedia
Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud is a state prison
located in St. Cloud
, Minnesota
, United States
. Originally built in 1889, it is a level four, close-security institution with an inmate population of about 1,000 men.
MCF-St. Cloud serves as the intake facility for men committed to prison in Minnesota.
was established in Stillwater
in 1853. In 1867, a second institution, the House of Refuge, opened in Saint Paul
to house young offenders. The House of Refuge was renamed to the Minnesota State Reform School in 1879, and it moved to Red Wing, Minnesota
in 1890. Later, in 1895, it was renamed the Minnesota State Training School. The Minnesota State Reformatory for Men was intended as an intermediate facility between the State Training School and the Territorial Prison. It was created as a reformatory
for offenders between sixteen and thirty years old who were presumably salvageable from a life of crime.
The first cell block, a four-story Romanesque Revival structure designed by J. Walter Stevens, was completed in 1889. A second cell block, also designed by Stevens, was built by inmates who quarried granite
from an on-site quarry
. In 1897, work was started on the Romanesque
/Medieval-Style Administration Building. The building was designed by Clarence H. Johnston, who designed several other structures for state institutions. Due to several work stoppages, the Administration Building was not completed until 1920. The building, five stories tall, is built of granite and has a flat roof with octagonal corner towers.The wall was built by prisoners brought over from the Stillwater prison and remains the second largest wall built by prisoners. The quarry that the stone came from is the oldest granite quarry in Minnesota.
Johnston designed other buildings at the Reformatory, including other cell blocks, the north and south dining halls, infirmary, power plant building, maintenance shops, guard towers, and some school and trade buildings. The most imposing structure is the perimeter wall, a 22 feet (6.7 m) high granite wall on the outside perimeter. Historian Denis Gardner writes, "[The granite barrier] all but shouted to those on the outside to be good citizens or else."
License plate stamping was done here for many years until 2008 in which license plates were no longer stamped but Printed and that process was brought to another prison. During the first decades the prison was built upon release it was standard to issue you a horse, saddle, rifle, and a gold piece.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
located in St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally built in 1889, it is a level four, close-security institution with an inmate population of about 1,000 men.
MCF-St. Cloud serves as the intake facility for men committed to prison in Minnesota.
History
The prison, originally named the Minnesota State Reformatory for Men, was Minnesota's third prison. The Minnesota Territorial PrisonMinnesota Territorial Prison
The Minnesota Territorial Prison, later known as the Minnesota State Prison, was a prison in Stillwater, Minnesota, operated from 1853 - 1914. Construction of the prison began in 1851, shortly after Minnesota became a territory...
was established in Stillwater
Stillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
in 1853. In 1867, a second institution, the House of Refuge, opened in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
to house young offenders. The House of Refuge was renamed to the Minnesota State Reform School in 1879, and it moved to Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
in 1890. Later, in 1895, it was renamed the Minnesota State Training School. The Minnesota State Reformatory for Men was intended as an intermediate facility between the State Training School and the Territorial Prison. It was created as a reformatory
Reformatory
Reformatory is a term that has had varied meanings within the penal system, depending on the jurisdiction and the era. It may refer to a youth detention center, or an adult correctional facility. The term is still in popular use for adult facilities throughout the United States, although most...
for offenders between sixteen and thirty years old who were presumably salvageable from a life of crime.
The first cell block, a four-story Romanesque Revival structure designed by J. Walter Stevens, was completed in 1889. A second cell block, also designed by Stevens, was built by inmates who quarried granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
from an on-site quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. In 1897, work was started on the Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
/Medieval-Style Administration Building. The building was designed by Clarence H. Johnston, who designed several other structures for state institutions. Due to several work stoppages, the Administration Building was not completed until 1920. The building, five stories tall, is built of granite and has a flat roof with octagonal corner towers.The wall was built by prisoners brought over from the Stillwater prison and remains the second largest wall built by prisoners. The quarry that the stone came from is the oldest granite quarry in Minnesota.
Johnston designed other buildings at the Reformatory, including other cell blocks, the north and south dining halls, infirmary, power plant building, maintenance shops, guard towers, and some school and trade buildings. The most imposing structure is the perimeter wall, a 22 feet (6.7 m) high granite wall on the outside perimeter. Historian Denis Gardner writes, "[The granite barrier] all but shouted to those on the outside to be good citizens or else."
License plate stamping was done here for many years until 2008 in which license plates were no longer stamped but Printed and that process was brought to another prison. During the first decades the prison was built upon release it was standard to issue you a horse, saddle, rifle, and a gold piece.