Built in 1878 by Toledo architect David Gibbs, the building operated as a working jail until 1988. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The 8,500-square-foot property, which once housed prisoners and the county sheriff’s family, is now being repositioned as a mixed-use property that could include private offices, creative space and an unusual nod to its Prohibition-era past. The sale follows more than five years of stewardship by the Historical Society, which purchased the building in 2021 and worked to make it accessible through tours, exhibitions and community events, adds the report. In October 2025, the property hosted nine weddings during a Halloween-themed event organized by the City of Delaware and the Historical Society.
A former Ohio jail that spent more than a century behind bars is getting a very different future. The historic Jail and Sheriff’s Residence in Delaware, Ohio, has been sold by the Delaware County Historical Society to Westwood principal Andy Warnock, a Delaware native, states the Columbus Business First report. The sheriff lived on the premises with his family, while the sheriff’s wife, known as the Matron, had responsibilities that included preparing meals and caring for inmates. The arrangement was part of a broader prison-reform movement associated with Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, who was born and raised in Delaware. Perhaps the most intriguing possibility involves the jail itself. The existing cells are expected to receive their own refresh during a second phase of renovation. Among the concepts being considered for the rear portion of the building are a Prohibition-era speakeasy and a maker’s space combined with an art gallery. It is a fittingly unconventional next act for a building that has already served as a jail, residence, museum and even wedding venue. Court employees dressed in costume while the entrance and cells were decorated for the occasion.