Joliet, IL — The Old Joliet Haunted Prison, a seasonal haunted attraction operated by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group inside a former state women’s prison, may not return in 2026 after changes to the lease agreement between the state of Illinois and the city of Joliet removed the attraction as an approved use of the property.
The city of Joliet leases the former Joliet Correctional Center site from the state and has sublet the women’s prison building to Thirteenth Floor since 2020. According to a report from the Joliet Herald-News, a new lease negotiated between the city and the state last year now requires state approval for all activities on the property. City spokeswoman Ann Sylvester told the Herald-News that “at this time, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group is not an approved use under the terms of that agreement.”
The city notified Thirteenth Floor in January that its agreement had expired and that it must remove all property and equipment from the site, according to the report. The Joliet City Council had approved the three-year lease renewal with the state in December without any public indication that the new terms would affect the haunted attraction…