It now resides as part of his massive private magic collection in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2004, the restored cell was sold at auction to magician David Copperfield. While it was initially reported that the cell was completely destroyed, the metal frame survived, and the cell was restored by illusion builder John Gaughan. In 1995, the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame burned to the ground in a fire. The leaky tank caused mold and damage to the cell wood and structure. At one point, the museum owners put a fish tank inside the cell to achieve an aquarium effect. Here the cell suffered from neglect and theft. The cell remained in the Radner basement until 1971 when it was put on display at The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada. Hardeen never performed the cell himself, and despite Houdini's instructions for it to be "burnt and destroyed" upon Hardeen's death, his brother gave the cell to Houdini collector Sidney Hollis Radner in the 1940s. Īfter Houdini's death, the cell was willed to his brother who performed as the escape artist Theodore Hardeen. Despite two Hollywood movies depicting Houdini dying in the Torture Cell, the escape had nothing to do with his demise. Houdini continued to perform the escape until his death in 1926.
In letters Houdini referred to the effect as "the Upside Down" or "USD". The first public performance was at the Circus Busch in Berlin, Germany, on September 21, 1912. This was so he could copyright the new escape (having learned with his Milk Can escape that patents failed to stop imitators). Houdini first performed the escape for an audience of one person as part of a one-act play he called Houdini Upside Down.
The original Chinese Water Torture Cell was built in England in 1911.
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