workhouse 1



This castle in the middle of Kansas City was once home to the city’s finest imprisoned criminals. The Work House, 2001 Vine St. (also known as Brant’s Castle, named after the prison’s original superintendent), was built in 1897 to relieve overcrowding at nearby prisons. The prison could hold 120 men and women, who were forced to work in the rock quarry located down the hill from the prison during their sentence. This apparently helped them become better citizens. But why a castle? Well, the architects just felt like making something different. Years later, the city ultimately abandoned the building because of various safety hazards. The castle is colorful with graffiti, covered with vines and had grown into a part of Kansas City’s very landscape – until its purchase in 2013, with a rehab plan to create a functional community space.