This cell pod in the old Tipton County Jail, photographed in 2013, held four prisoners. Tim Bath | Kokomo Tribune
TIPTON – Tipton County’s old jail and sheriff’s quarters is one of the most endangered historical structures in Indiana, according to the state’s leading preservation organization.
Indiana Landmarks has included the building on its annual “10 Most Endangered” list, the nonprofit announced Monday. The designation will give the current preservation push a much-needed boost as county officials have been hesitant to spend money on the old jail.
Both Gae Matchette and Jill Curnutt-Howerton, the historical society’s vice president and executive director, believe the “Most Endangered” designation will get the old jail in front of more eyes and hopefully spark interest from potential investors.
Historically, there’s a good track record of structures on the “Most Endangered” list eventually being renovated and repurposed. Of the 146 sites named to the “Most Endangered” list, just 19 have been demolished, while 95 have been completely restored or no longer endangered, according to Indiana Landmarks.
“We’re very excited it’s on the list,” Matchette told the Tribune Monday.
Built in 1894 at 121 W. Madison St. by the esteemed architect Adolph Scherrer, the old jail and sheriff’s quarters was considered “one of the best in the state,” at the time, according to Indiana Landmarks. County officials at the time were so impressed, they commissioned Scherrer to design the county’s courthouse. Scherrer also designed the state’s Capitol building. The two structures remain the county’s only structures listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
But fast forward more than 100 years, and the jail had become woefully inadequate, was failing yearly inspections by the Indiana Department of Correction and was seen as being one of the “worst condition” jails in the state.
To fix the issue, the county spent $16 million on a new, stateof- the-art jail located just west of the city of Tipton.
But the core problem – what to do with the old jail – remains.
A 2014 feasibility study commissioned by the historical society found the building was in relatively good shape considering its age, and restoration could be done. But that restoration would come with a hefty price tag to the tune of $1.4 million – a price that has almost certainly increased since then.
“We still don’t know what we’re going to do with it,” Dennis Henderson, Tipton County commissioner, said during the board’s meeting Monday.
Historically, the county has chosen to demolish old and historic structures – including the former Carnegie Public Library in 1980.
“It’s been tear down, build a parking lot for years,” Matchette said, adding that the old jail and sheriff’s quarters have been neglected for decades.
But that fate is something both the county historical society and Indiana Landmarks want to avoid for the old jail.
The nonprofit visited the commissioners in early March, expressing its desire to work with the county in finding a new purpose for the old jail.
“We’d like to find an alternative that keeps the building a part of the community but doesn’t necessarily cost Tipton County anything going forward,” Mark Dollase, vice president of preservation services for Indiana Landmarks, said at the time.
Such alternatives could include housing, a restaurant, offices or even a museum.
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