Sublunar Photography

The Medium Security Institution (AKA The Workhouse) was constructed in Saint Louis in the 1960's. It was operational for about 60 years before reports of inhumane conditions brought about its eventual replacement and closure. There now appears to be some questionable renovation work being done inside-reportedly at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Click here for the video.

Despite the location already winding up on social media and various news stories, I had let this one sit for an unspecified amount of time before posting anything about it myself-as is tradition. Using discretion helps keep lazy assholes/vandals out, it avoids search engine results from making it back to whomever is in charge of security; it helps prevent random fools from finding out about it and trying their luck at getting inside and accidentally locking themselves in a cell, etc. By the time I got around to posting it here I still refrained from identifying it by name/location/exteriors because that's the logical thing to do when you don't want to blow the spot. Unfortunately, using discretion when posting about locations seems to be a lost art among our more attention-seeking constituents who have since put this location on blast by publicly identifying it. To anyone who does this sort of thing for any notable amount of time, a pretty reliable fact becomes increasingly hard to ignore: Publicly identifying locations like this is why we can't have nice things. Loose lips sink ships and all that.

The alternative method of posting photos of more sensitive locaitons without blowing the spot is to simply avoid posting obvious stuff like exteriors. Leave out stuff like hand-painted murals that specifically identify the location, etc. Because when you use discretion, then as far as anyone knows it's just a jail/prison and it could be anywhere in the English speaking world.

Regarding the aforementioned news stories: There was a segment earlier this year wherein a local news reporter just walked up to, and went inside of, this building.. without obtaining permission.. entirely on camera. If the law applies to everyone equally, then what I learned from that news segment was that it is entirely acceptible to enter stuff like this without permission as long as you meet the definition of a "reporter". As luck would have it, I, too, am "a person who reports" on things I find interesting. And as an official reporter, it is my duty to report that I shall commence forthwith using these newly discovered powers to their fullest potential.