Shawshank Redemption prison to be restored as tourist attraction

The prison made famous in the cult film Shawshank Redemption is set to be fully restored to become an all-year-round tourist attraction.

The news comes as the Oscar-nominated film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, marks its 20th anniversary.

According to ITV News, parts of the Ohio State Reformatory are already open to fans, receiving more than 80,000 visitors last year for events like extreme ghost hunts and murder mystery dinners.

But under new plans by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society to attract more fans all year round, the part-demolished building will be further restored, with new heating and decoration for the first time in decades.

New windows will also be installed and the building will become weatherproof.

According to the Independent, currently visitors can take themselves on self-guided tours to famous sites from the film, including where elderly inmate Brooks fed the birds, and the old oak tree where Andy Dufrain hid money for Red.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the prison was closed in 1990 after 94 years in operation.

It was originally scheduled to be demolished but was saved by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society who wanted to turn it into a tourist destination.

Last year's £80,000 visitors brought in $10 million in tourism to the Mansfield area, and the society are hoping with the new works, this will revenue will continue to grow.

Last weekend, the movie's 20th anniversary kicked off a 13-stop bus tour of filming sites, re-creations, appearances by some cast members and locals who were extras, as well as a 1940s-themed cocktail party in the renovated guard room at the reformatory.

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