SING SING, at once forbidding and fascinating, has always loomed large in the imagination of the American public.
Now plans are under way to build a museum that will give visitors a glimpse of what goes on behind the walls of the 176-year-old prison. The project, which is expected to cost about $8 million, will present a historical overview of Sing Sing, and include visits to the original stone walls built by prisoners in the early 1800’s, restored cell blocks, and a recreated death chamber, which will house the actual electric chair once used for prison executions.
The idea of Sing Sing as a tourist attraction is both new and not so new. Ossining has long considered the maximum-security prison — which is perched on a stunning piece of waterfront real estate — more of a sore spot than a draw. There have been local movements to close the prison, which currently houses more than 2,200 inmates.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/nyregion/the-big-house-as-tourist-spot.html?smid=pl-share