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Anybody want to buy a used jail?

For sale: 22-story high-rise, mostly abandoned, walking distance to Kendall Square. Prisoners not included.

By Linda Matchan

 |  Globe Staff  

  April 21, 2012

The ad describes the property at 40 Thorndike St. as “an exciting and rare opportunity for private investment.” It’s a state-owned 22-story high-rise for sale in East Cambridge, boasting “unimpeded views” of the Charles River and an easy walk to Kendall Square. Buried in fine print, though, is a small detail about the nearly 40-year-old building, the former Middlesex County Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse. The top four floors of the building are the Middlesex Jail, and it’s full of prisoners.

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