Group hopes to have weddings at old prison

A couple from suburban Cleveland was married there in 2003.
MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) -- A preservation group plans to spend $600,000 to renovate the rundown guard room at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, the imposing old prison where "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed.
The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society hopes to rent the room for weddings and reunions.
"It has history, death, destruction, legend, lore and ghosts. What more could you ask for?" group founder Dan Seckel said of the castle-like prison, which closed to inmates in 1990.
The central guard room, which served as a prison cafeteria in "The Shawshank Redemption," is roughly the size of a basketball court and has a 25-foot-high ceiling.
Rental prices
Patrons will be able to rent the room for $500 a day once the lead paint has been stripped, the floors and columns have been refinished and the room has been encased in glass to allow for air conditioning and heating control, Seckel said.
The rental will come with access to a dressing area and a catering kitchen.
"We're especially looking forward to Christmas parties," said board president John Toney. "Would you rather go to a Holiday Inn, or someplace with legend attached?"
The society hosts overnight ghost hunts in the prison and doesn't try to dispel rumors of ghosts amid the rusted cell doors and bent window bars.
A wedding there would not be the first. Robin and Jaime Gonzalez of suburban Cleveland were married in the reformatory in 2003.
"We had people crashing because it was so, so cool," said Robin Gonzalez, 34.
The guests toured the prison after the ceremony, and Robin Gonzalez said their pictures in the cells are particularly memorable.
What's been done
Renovations in the room began Thursday. But the society also has done general restorations on roofs, gutters, windows, lighting and gas lines.
The first-floor warden's quarters now house a meeting room, museum and gift shop.
The guard room is expected to be ready in the spring.
The society bought the prison from the state for $1 in 2000 and has spent about $1.3 renovating an administrative wing.
Grants, donations and admissions for ghost hunts in the cellblocks have funded the renovation. The group makes about $5,000 per group when it gives visitors flashlights and sets them off in search of ghosts. Walking tours also are given during warm weather.
"We need this place to be haunted," Seckel said. "I don't believe that prospect will keep brides and grooms away. We hope it will bring 'em running."