The Halls of Justice, also known as “The Tombs” or “Old City Prison”, was constructed between 1835 and 1838. The nickname of “The Tombs” reportedly comes from how the building’s architect, John Haviland, modeled the structure after an Egyptian mausoleum described in a popular book of the time.[1] However, Charles Dickens claimed in his book American Notes describing his time touring America that the nickname came about because of series of suicides in the early years of the jail.[2] Whatever the true origin of the name, The Tombs was a jail in New York City that housed attorneys' offices, judges' chambers, court rooms, jail cells, and individuals awaiting trial. It was the nation’s largest jail until its destruction in 1897 and could originally comfortably hold up to 200 prisoners, with later additions bringing that number up to 300.[3]

The Tombs gained a reputation as a cesspit of corruption and uncleanliness, with critics even in Isaac T. Hopper’s time calling for its destruction.[4] The building was almost set up for failure – it was built on the former site of a shallow body of water called Collect Pond, which had been previously the site where citizens would dump their waste.[5] As such, the structure never had a completely sturdy foundation, and constant repairs had to be made to combat the sinking, cracking, and flooding that started just months after its opening.[6] Additionally, sewage backed up frequently on the lower levels, drinking water was unsafe to drink, and bathing facilities were virtually nonexistent. These unsanitary conditions were made even worse due to overcrowding, with the population swelling to between 400 and 600.[7] Eventually calls for its filthy reign to come to end won out, seen in A New York Times article from July 1896 titled “The Doom of the Old Tombs” announced the infamous jail’s demolition.[8]

The individuals that spent time in the Tombs that Hopper helped were not all convicts, as most who occupied the jail were awaiting trial or too poor to afford bail.[9] Additionally, Prisoners were not isolated or over-worked compared to jails such as Sing-Sing and Eastern State Penitentiary.[10] However, the classism featured in most prisons of this time was evident in the Tombs, as wealthier inmates were given the nicer single cells by the main entrance, while those with less money and connections were relegated to the dank and crowded cells on the lower levels.[11] It was these individuals, those of little means and poor connections that Hopper provided assistance to. 

[1] Timothy J. Gilfoyle “America's Greatest Criminal Barracks: The Tombs and the Experience of Criminal Justice in New York City, 1838-1897.” Journal of Urban History 29, no. 5 (July 2003): 526. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0096144203029005002.

[2]  Ibid., 546.

[3] Ibid., 525-6.

[4] Mitchel P. Roth, Prisons and Prison Systems: A Global Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006, 269.

[5]  Munroe, John Josiah. He New York Tombs, Inside And Out!: Scenes And Reminiscences Coming Down to the Present--A Story Stranger Than Fiction, With an Historic Account of America's Most Famous Prison. Brooklyn, NY: John Josiah Munroe, 1909, 29-31. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo1.ark:/13960/t9c545s28&view=1up&seq=13.

[6] “A Tale of the Tombs .” The Tombs. New York Correction Historical Society, n.d. http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/histry3a.html.

[7] Gilfoyle, “America’s Greatest Criminal Barracks”, 528-530.

[8] “Doom of the Old Tombs; Soon to Be Removed to Make Way for New Prison.” New York Times. July 4, 1896. https://www.nytimes.com/1896/07/04/archives/doom-of-the-old-tombs-soon-to-be-removed-to-make-way-for-new-prison.html.

[9]  Gilfoyle, “America’s Greatest Criminal Barracks”, 530-1.

[10]  Ibid., 537.

[11]  Ibid., 532-3.