Welcome to the Friends of the Airy Street Prison. This website has been created to keep everyone in the loop on the progress made to restore the Old County Jail located at 35 E. Airy Street in Norristown, PA>

 

Built in 1854, designed by architect Napoleon LeBrun, the building was originally used as the county jail to house inmates during their sentence as well as keep inmates temporarily during their court visits. The building was in use until 1987 when it was closed due to a new prison constructed in Lower Providence. At that point, it sat empty, somewhat forgotten by the county. There was some interest in restoring it but no plans were approved, or deemed worthy. 

 

Flash forward to 2023 when the county decided to tear it down. It could have been done without anyone’s knowledge, but the President of the Norristown Preservation Society saw the small article about the demolition contract and wrote a Letter to the Editor which sparked a wave of activity resulting in the county taking a pause to determine a use.