Demolition of the Workhouse will begin by end of year; city seeking ideas for memorial project [Video]

ST. LOUIS — Demolition of the former Medium Security Institution, colloquially known as the Workhouse, will begin by the end of the year.

Demolition of most buildings at the now-vacant jail will begin by Dec. 16, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced Wednesday as part of a call for community members to submit ideas for a memorial to commemorate the site.

Jones, who was sworn in as mayor in April 2021, campaigned on a promise to close the Workhouse, accusing it of housing inmates in inhumane conditions. The jail was closed a few months after Jones took office, and its inmate population was consolidated to the St. Louis City Justice Center.

“The unacceptable and inhumane conditions that many detainees at the Workhouse suffered cannot be forgotten,” Jones said in the release. “One of the first things I did as Mayor was close this jail. …