Locked In: Rent Your Very Own Jail For $600 a Month

• February 22, 2013

by UrbanTurf Staff

Yours for $600 a month.

Here is a rental advertisement you don’t see every day:

“ONE OF A KIND…..AUTHENTIC COUNTY JAIL FOR RENT/LEASE/LEASE OPTION/POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING..LOCATED IN HILLSVILLE, VA., CARROLL COUNTY.”

That’s right. Forget about opening your next restaurant or bar in an old school or warehouse. This old county jail about five hours into Virginia (map) is available for rent for between $500 to $600/month.

Owner Bob Degrosa purchased the former jailhouse four years ago, after it ceased operations in 1999. Degrosa has been getting a number of calls about the unique space since it was listed for rent; interested parties have included Eagle Rider, a motorcycle tour business out of Arizona, and a yoga studio, which Degrosa appropriately noted “didn’t fit the vision” of what they want for the property.

“I think a bar or restaurant will probably make the most sense,” Degrosa told UrbanTurf. “The exterior is in great condition, but the interior needs to be sandblasted and eventually gutted.”

The full listing can be viewed here, but here are a few of the nitty gritty details of the property: a full kitchen, 20 toilets and naturally, 8 intact prison cells.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/locked_in_blue_ridge_mountain_jail_up_for_rent/6695