The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

In a letter to Charles A. Gargano, chairman of the agency that promotes tourism and economic development in the state, Spano said that Sing Sing could be the perfect catalyst for the Hudson Valley tourism industry, attracting tourists from all over the world. He said the internationally infamous prison, which was the site of the nation’s first electric chair and a favorite subject of Hollywood in the ‘20s and ‘30s, was ideally located on the river where ferry boats could deliver visitors.

The idea of a museum at the prison has been endorsed by both the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Hudson Valley, which operate tourist attractions like Lyndhurst, Sunnyside and Kykuit. “A recent marketing study found that the establishment of a Sing Sing Historic Prison Museum could create not only a national destination, but an international one that would rival the popularity of Alcatraz in San
Francisco Bay,’’ said Spano in his letter to Gargano. “The economic impacts and the opportunities for business development in the downtowns of the 13 historic river towns from Yonkers to Peekskill cannot be underestimated.’’

Under the tentative plan, it would cost about $5.8 million to turn the prison’s former power plant into a museum building and create a tunnel that would lead to Sing Sing’s original cell block, which would house a replica of the electric chair and other prison memorabilia. He estimated that it would cost between $500,000 and $800,000 to operate the museum, all of which could be raised from tourism proceeds.

Based on tourist attendance figures at other prisons, Spano said he
estimated that Sing Sing could generate about $20.5 million a year for the state, with $10.7 million going directly to Westchester’s economy. The museum, he added, is estimated to create 257 new jobs, 113 of those in
Westchester.

The prison museum, Spano said, could spawn an entire waterway industry along the river, attracting pleasure boaters to a new destination. There are 13 million registered boats and more than 70 million recreational boaters
nationwide.

Spano said that the Sing Sing proposal was in response to a recent news article in which Gov. George Pataki and Gargano are quoted as saying that the state is looking for new and exciting economic development/tourism opportunities.

“A Sing Sing Museum is the catalyst needed to reinforce and enhance economic growth within the region and the state,’’said Spano.
The inspiration for such phrases as the Big House, the Big Sleep and Up the River, and the subject of more than 200 Hollywood films, Sing Sing opened in 1868 and was home to the nation’s first electric chair. Notorious villains were put to death in the chair at Sing Sing, including cannibalistic serial killer Albert Fish, who called the electric chair the “supreme thrill.”
Married cold war spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were electrocuted at Sing Sing on June 19, 1950 after twice failing to win clemency from President Eisenhower for selling A-Bomb secrets to the Soviets. And infamous bank robbery Willie Sutton is also part of Sing Sing lore.

“Sing Sing was a famous tourist attraction in the 1920s,’’ said Spano. “At the height of its popularity more than 3,000 people a day toured the prison, and I don’t see why that cannot happen again.’’

Jerry Mulligan, Westchester’s Commissioner of Planning, said that everyone approached about the project was very excited, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He said the trust is looking to branch out from historic homes of the wealthy to educate the public on other faces of history. Sing Sing, he said, would be the perfect venue for this venture.

“Historic prisons are the single largest tourist attractions in San
Francisco, London and Dublin,’’ said Mulligan, who added that Alcatraz prison attracted 1.5 million tourists in 2000. “Sing Sing could serve as the centerpiece to all our other historic sites, attracting far more people than we ever imagined.’’

Westchester.com
Monday, 03 January 2005