Old prison abuzz as crew prepares finishing touches

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/02/08/news/doc498e5bdcbece7188958149.txt

Old prison abuzz as crew prepares finishing touches

Sunday, February 8, 2009 6:30 AM EST

By VICKY THOMAS, Of the Times Staff

THORTON — The old Broadmeadows prison was buzzing with movie crews Friday morning, setting up for actors to begin shooting scenes.

The first day of filming for “Law Abiding Citizen” was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday, but crews were still putting the finishing touches on the sets near noon.

The mess hall of the nearly 80-year-old jail was transformed into the film’s prison administration building, with rows of file folders lining the walls and rows of cluttered desks. The cluttered workstations were adorned with half-eaten candy bowls or family photos, aiming for that look of authenticity.

Two cells were getting special treatment in Block C, one of the jail’s original cell blocks. Since the side-by-side cells still had safely functioning metal gate doors, crew members were fixing them up to shoot scenes of an incarcerated character.

The jail has been used as a storage facility since prisoners were moved to the current prison in 1998.

George W. Hill Correctional Facility Superintendent John Reilly said though the old jail has been cleaned up a bit, it was still unfit to house prisoners.