What do Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Robert Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Seigel, "Dragnet" and "Get Smart" have in common?
Answer: The Los Angeles Hall of Justice.
This piece of Los Angeles history has been restored and preserved.
Typical to Hollywood, Celebrity and Infamy Side By Side
The jail cell, which was adjacent to where autopsies were performed on Sen. Robert Kennedy and Marylin Monroe, was occupied by the likes Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Manson and a laundry list of others.
The 1940s movie star Robert Mitchum served his time there, after he was sentenced to 60 days behind bars after being convicted on marijuana possession charges.
Inmate Bugsy Seigel is said to have had a limousine take him directly out to dinner when he finally left the jail cell. Well-known daredevil Evel Knievel is also said to have been detained there, and during his stay and when he was released he was freed alongside 19 other men. He ordered up a round of limousines, one for each of them. Sources say this backed traffic up for quite a few blocks.
One of the Manson defendants is even said to have escaped from the facility. He slipped out a window and climbed down some tied-together bed sheets. That man was eventually recaptured after he tried to rob a retail store.
Re-shining the penny
Los Angeles County officials say the building has long been in need of restoration. The 1994 earthquake took a toll on the structure and rendered it unsafe. Architects said the process was careful and thoughtful and once all was said and done it had a final price tag of nearly $232 million.
Today, the newly-preserved Hall of Justice has a shiny new interior and has far more natural light than it did in the past. The exterior has been cleaned and polished and the window air conditioning units and old-school court rooms have been taken out.
Now, the Manson cell, which also held Sirhan, is also on display. It includes a two-person bunk bed, a toilet and a sink. Neither man had a roommate while they were being held there due to safety concerns.
The building will officially reopen in January and will house the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's office. Both have described the structure as a living, breathing piece of history.
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