Eastern State Penitentiary

Main entrance

Original floor plan (1836)

The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former detention center in Philadelphia , in the US - state of Pennsylvania , which was used from 1829 to 1971 as such, and since 1994 as museum serves.

history

As early as 1787, a group of well-known Philadelphian citizens, including Benjamin Franklin , began considering the construction of the prison . However, concrete planning only began in 1821. The building was realized by the English architect John Haviland from 1822 to 1829. On October 23, 1829, the penal institution began operations.

To create a deterrent effect from a distance, the outside of the building is modeled on a medieval castle. Its two-story cell tracts were arranged radially around a central building for easier surveillance.

The prison was constructed according to the principles of reform at the time. Their overriding principle was to isolate the prisoners from the outside world and from each other through solitary confinement . Therefore, each cell has an outside area, also separated by walls. The inmates were not allowed to work or receive visitors except from an institution chaplain.

The building has been remodeled several times over its 141-year history as a prison. Today's museum documents the condition of cells from each of the different phases. A large part of the building is still in its dilapidated original condition.

Al Capone and Willie Sutton , among others, sat at the Eastern State Penitentiary . Al Capone's cell has been reconstructed and can be viewed.

In June 1965, the prison was granted National Historic Landmark status. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since October 1966 .

The exhibition is currently supplemented by a cell such as that in use at the Guantánamo Bay military base .

Originally built outside of Philadelphia, the city's development has now enclosed the prison. It is located on 22nd Street / Fairmount Ave. The museum is open from April to November.