View source for Eastern State Penitentiary

{{Short description|Historic American prison}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox prison
| name                = Eastern State Penitentiary
| image               = File:Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LCCN2011632222.tif
| image_size          = 
| alt                 = 
| caption             = The exterior of the Eastern State Penitentiary.
| location            = 2027 Fairmount Avenue<br/>[[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania
| coordinates         = {{Wikidatacoord|Q489417|region:US-PA_type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| status              = Closed (now a museum)
| classification      = 
| capacity            = 
| population          = ~400 prisoners (from 1829 to 1877)
| population_as_of    = 
| opened              = 1829
| closed              = 1971
| former_name         = 
| managed_by          = 
| director            = 
| governor            = 
| warden              = Samuel R. Wood (1829-40)<br>Robert McKenty (1908-1923)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://quakercity100.wordpress.com/tag/warden-robert-mckenty/ |title=Warden Robert McKenty |date=September 26, 2014 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217153419/https://quakercity100.wordpress.com/tag/warden-robert-mckenty/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| prisoners           = 
| website             = {{url|easternstate.org}}
| embedded            = {{Infobox NRHP
 |embed                       = yes
 |nrhp_type                   = nhl
 |locmapin                    = Philadelphia#Pennsylvania#USA
 |area                        = {{cvt|11|acre|m2}}<ref name="esp history">{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org:80/history/ |title=ESP :: History :: Timeline |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620011403/http://www.easternstate.org/history/ |archive-date=June 20, 2006}}</ref>
 |built                       = 1829
 |architect                   = [[John Haviland]]
 |architecture                = [[Gothic Revival]]
 |designated_nrhp_type        = June 23, 1965<ref name="nhlsum" />
 |added                       = October 15, 1966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
 |refnum                      = 66000680
 |designated_other1_name      = Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
 |designated_other1_date      =
 |designated_other1_abbr      = PRHP
 |designated_other1_link      = Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
 |designated_other1_color     = #A8BDEC
 |designated_other2_name      = Pennsylvania State Historical Marker
 |designated_other2_abbr      = PHMC
 |designated_other2_date      = May 2, 1996<ref name=phmcdatabase>{{cite web |title=PHMC Historical Markers |work=Historical Marker Database |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission |url=http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |access-date=December 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131207041235/http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 |designated_other2_link      = List of Pennsylvania state historical markers
 |designated_other2_color     = navy
 |designated_other2_textcolor = #ffc94b
 }}
}}
The '''Eastern State Penitentiary''' ('''ESP''') is a former [[American prison]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="esp">{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/ |title=Home &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |publisher=Easternstate.org |date=February 2, 2016 |access-date=February 19, 2016 |archive-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220062438/https://www.easternstate.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is located in the [[Fairmount, Philadelphia|Fairmount]] section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of [[Separate system|separate incarceration]], first pioneered at the [[Walnut Street Jail]], which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.<ref>Paul Kahan, ''Eastern State Penitentiary: A History'' (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008)</ref>

Notorious criminals such as [[Al Capone]] and bank robber [[Willie Sutton]] were held inside its innovative wagon wheel design. For their role in the [[Kelayres massacre]] of 1934, James Bruno (Big Joe) and several male relatives were incarcerated here between 1936 and 1948, before they were paroled.<ref>King of the Mountain The Bruno Family Story by Bruce Boyd 2016</ref> At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States,<ref name="penitentiary1994">Johnston, Norman. Eastern State Penitentiary: Crucible of Good Intentions. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994.</ref> and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.

The prison is currently a U.S. [[National Historic Landmark]],<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=507&ResourceType=Building |title=Eastern State Penitentiary |access-date=January 9, 2008 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606004923/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=507&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=June 6, 2008}}</ref> which is open to the public as a museum for tours daily.

==History==
===19th century===
[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary Annotated Floor Plan.jpg|thumb|Annotated floor plan of Eastern State Penitentiary in 1836]]
{{Further|History of United States prison systems}}
Eastern State Penitentiary was originally named Cherry Hill State Prison. It was sited on ten acres of elevated farmland known as Cherry Hill near Philadelphia. Construction commenced in 1822.

Designed by [[John Haviland]] and opened on October 25, 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world's first true penitentiary, with seven corridors of heated and sky-lighted cells capable of holding 500 convicts in isolation. Eastern State's revolutionary system of incarceration, dubbed the "Pennsylvania system" or [[separate system]], encouraged separate confinement as a form of rehabilitation. The warden was legally required to visit every inmate every day, and the overseers were mandated to see each inmate three times a day.

The Pennsylvania system was opposed contemporaneously by the [[Auburn system]] (also known as the New York system), which held that prisoners should be forced to work together in silence, and could be subjected to physical punishment ([[Sing Sing Correctional Facility|Sing Sing]] prison was an example of the Auburn system). Although the Auburn system was favored in the United States, Eastern State's radial floor plan and system of solitary confinement was the model for over 300 prisons worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.easternstate.org/sites/easternstate/files/inline-files/ESPHistoryOverviewrev5.2019v2.pdf |title=General Overview |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=www.easternstate.org |publisher=Eastern State Penitentiary |access-date=November 18, 2020 |quote=During the century following Eastern State's construction, more than 300 prisons in South America, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and across the British Empire were based on its plan. |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221144547/https://www.easternstate.org/sites/easternstate/files/inline-files/ESPHistoryOverviewrev5.2019v2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Critic and activist [[John Neal]] in 1841 expressed revulsion at the international reputation of "a nation that broke away from all its bands and fetters, only fifty or sixty years ago — overthrowing prisons, palaces, and thrones in her march toward universal emancipation, already renowned throughout the whole earth, for her prisons, her manacles, and her badges of servitude."<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Richards |first=Irving T. |date=1933 |title=The Life and Works of John Neal |type=PhD |publisher=Harvard University |url=http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990038995990203941/catalog |page=986 |access-date=November 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219141629/https://hollis.harvard.edu/primo-explore/search?tab=everything&search_scope=everything&vid=HVD2&lang=en_US&mode=basic&offset=0&query=lsr01,contains,990038995990203941 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Originally, inmates were housed in cells that could only be accessed by entering through a small exercise yard attached to the back of the prison; only a small portal, just large enough to pass meals, opened onto the cell blocks. This design proved impractical, and in the middle of construction, cells were constructed that allowed prisoners to enter and leave the cell blocks through metal doors that were covered by a heavy wooden door to filter out noise. The halls were designed to have the feel of a [[Church (building)|church]].<ref name="treasuresofpa.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.treasuresofpa.com/2009/11/esp |title=Eastern State Penitentiary – Treasures of Pennsylvania |website=Treasuresofpa.com |date=November 28, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403150355/http://www.treasuresofpa.com/2009/11/esp/ |archive-date=April 3, 2016}}</ref>

Some believe that the doors were small so prisoners would have a harder time getting out, minimizing an attack on an officer. Others have explained the small doors forced the prisoners to bow while entering their cell. This design is related to penance and ties to the religious inspiration of the prison. The cells were made of concrete with a single glass [[skylight]], representing the "Eye of God", suggesting to the prisoners that God was always watching them.<ref name="treasuresofpa.com"/>

Outside the cell was an individual area for exercise, enclosed by high walls so prisoners could not communicate. Exercise time for each prisoner was synchronized so no two prisoners next to each other would be out at the same time. Prisoners were allowed to garden and even keep pets in their exercise yards. When a prisoner left his cell, an accompanying guard would wrap a hood over his head to prevent him from being recognized by other prisoners.<ref name="treasuresofpa.com"/>

Cell accommodations were advanced for their time, including a faucet with running water over a flush toilet, as well as curved pipes along part of one wall which served as central heating during the winter months where hot water would be run through the pipes to keep the cells reasonably heated. Toilets were remotely flushed twice a week by the guards of the cellblock.

[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary, Two Story Hall.jpg|thumb|One of the two-story cell blocks in Eastern State Penitentiary]]
The original design of the building was for seven one-story cell blocks, but by the time cell block three was completed, the prison was already over capacity. All subsequent cell blocks had two floors. Toward the end, cell blocks 14 and 15 were hastily built due to overcrowding. They were built and designed by prisoners. Cell block 15 was for the worst behaved prisoners, and the guards were gated off from there entirely.

Inmates were punished with the "individual-treatment system." At the time, this form of punishment was thought to be most effective. They would be separated from others.<ref>Vaux, Richard, 1816-1895. "Brief sketch of the origin and history of the State Penitentiary for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia." 2010.</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Pep (inmate C-2559) mugshot.jpg|thumb|Mugshot of [[Pep (dog)|Pep]], inmate C-2559. Falsely accused of the murder of a cat, he was pardoned in 1929.]]
In 1924, Pennsylvania Governor [[Gifford Pinchot]] allegedly sentenced [[Pep (dog)|Pep "The Cat-Murdering Dog"]] (an actual dog) to a life sentence at Eastern State. Pep allegedly murdered the governor's wife's cherished cat. Prison records reflect that Pep was assigned an inmate number (no. C2559), which is seen in his mug shot. However, the reason for Pep's incarceration remains a subject of some debate. A contemporary newspaper article reported that the governor donated his own dog to the prison to increase inmate morale.<ref name="esp history"/>

The Alfred W. Fleisher Synagogue was dedicated in the prison on April 21, 1929. Fleisher had served as president of the Board until his death in 1928. The dedication service was led by [[Congregation Mikveh Israel]]'s Reverend Leon Elmaleh.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 22, 1929 |title=Synagogue is Dedicated|work=Philadelphia Inqurier|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=2}}</ref>

On April 3, 1945, a major escape was carried out by twelve inmates (including the infamous [[Willie Sutton]]), who over the course of a year managed to dig an undiscovered {{convert|97|ft|m|adj=on}} tunnel under the prison wall. During renovations in the 1930s an additional 30 incomplete inmate-dug tunnels were discovered.

It was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1965.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite journal |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000680_text |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Eastern State Penintentiary |date=August 6, 1974 |format=PDF |author=Richard E. Greenwood |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=June 22, 2009 |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202150552/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000680_text |url-status=live }} and {{NHLS url|id=66000680|title=''Accompanying 6 drawings and photos, exterior and interior, various dates.''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(2.45&nbsp;MB)}}</ref>

The prison was closed in 1971. Many prisoners and guards were transferred to [[State Correctional Institution - Graterford|Graterford Prison]], about {{convert|31|mi|km}} northwest of Eastern State. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property with the intention of redeveloping it. The site had several proposals, including a mall and a luxury apartment complex surrounded by the old prison walls.

During the abandoned era (from closing until the late 80s) a "forest" grew in the cell blocks and outside within the walls. The prison also became home to many stray cats.

In 1988, the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force successfully petitioned Mayor [[Wilson Goode]] to halt redevelopment. In 1994, Eastern State opened to the public for history tours.

==== End of the solitary confinement system ====
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
[[File:ESP-cell.jpg|thumb|A typical cell in restored condition.]]
The solitary confinement system eventually collapsed due to overcrowding problems. By 1913, Eastern State officially abandoned the solitary system and operated as a congregate prison until it closed in 1970. Eastern State was briefly used to house city inmates in 1971 after a riot at [[Holmesburg Prison]].

[[File:Al-capone-cell.jpg|thumb|[[Al Capone]]'s cell]]
[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA barber shop.jpg|thumb|The remains of the barber shop]]
The prison was one of the largest public-works projects of the early republic, and was a tourist destination in the 19th century. Notable visitors included [[Charles Dickens]] and [[Alexis de Tocqueville]], and later notable inmates included [[Willie Sutton]] and [[Al Capone]] in 1929. Visitors spoke with prisoners in their cells, proving that inmates were not isolated, though the prisoners themselves were not allowed to have visits with family or friends during their stay.

Most of the early prisoners were petty criminals incarcerated for various robbery and theft charges (muggers, pickpockets, purse-snatchers, burglars, etc.) and the first-time offenders often served two years.

The Penitentiary was intended not simply to punish, but to move the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change. While some have argued that the Pennsylvania system was [[Religious Society of Friends|Quaker]]-inspired, there is little evidence to support this; the organization that promoted Eastern State's creation, the Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (today's [[Pennsylvania Prison Society]]) was less than half Quaker, and was led for nearly fifty years by Philadelphia's Anglican bishop, [[William White (Bishop of Pennsylvania)|William White]]. Proponents of the system believed strongly that the criminals, exposed, in silence, to thoughts of their behavior and the ugliness of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent.

In reality, the guards and councilors of the facility designed a variety of physical and psychological torture regimens for various infractions, including dousing prisoners in freezing water outside during winter months, chaining their tongues to their wrists in a fashion such that struggling against the chains could cause the tongue to tear, strapping prisoners into chairs with tight leather restraints for days on end, and putting the worst behaved prisoners into a pit called "The Hole", an underground cellblock dug under cellblock 14 where they would have no light, no human contact, and little food for as long as two weeks.

====Prison reform and rehabilitation====
[[SCI Graterford]] opened in the 1920s after disturbances occurred at Eastern State; the Pennsylvania prison board opened Graterford to assume functions previously held by Eastern State.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20180324042618/https://www.cor.pa.gov/Facilities/StatePrisons/Pages/Graterford.aspx SCI Graterford]." [[Pennsylvania Department of Corrections]]. March 24, 2018. Retrieved on September 27, 2018.</ref>

Prior to its closing in late 1969, Eastern State Penitentiary (then known as '''State Correctional Institution, Philadelphia''') had established a far reaching program of group therapy with the goal of having all inmates involved. From 1967, when the plan was initiated, the program appears to have been moderately successful as many inmates were involved in the groups which were voluntary. An interesting aspect was that the groups were led by two therapists, one from the psych or social work staff, and the second from the prison officer staff.<ref>Prison Manifesto. {{ISBN|0-9769715-0-X}}. Author Bernard Mazie</ref>

==Architectural significance==
[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary aerial crop.jpg|thumb|250px|Eastern State Penitentiary's radial plan served as the model for hundreds of later prisons.]]
[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary Cross Section.jpg|thumb|250px|Cross Section of Cell Block]]

When the Eastern State Penitentiary, or Cherry Hill as it was known at the time, was erected in 1829 in Francisville (the idea of this new prison was created in a meeting held at Benjamin Franklin's house in 1787) it was the largest and most expensive public structure in the country.<ref name="penitentiary1994" /> Its architectural significance first arose in 1821, when British architect [[John Haviland]] was chosen to design the building. Haviland found most of his inspiration for his plan for the penitentiary from prisons and asylums built beginning in the 1780s in England and Ireland.<ref name="penitentiary1994" /> He gave the prison a neo-Gothic look to instill fear into those who thought of committing a crime.<ref name="DolanESP">{{cite book |title=Eastern State Penitentiary |publisher=Arcadia Publications |author=Dolan, Francis X. |year=2007 |location=Charleston, SC}}</ref>

These complexes consist of cell wings radiating in a semi or full circle array from a center tower whence the prison could be kept under constant surveillance. The design for the penitentiary which Haviland devised became known as the hub-and-spoke plan which consisted of an octagonal center connected by corridors to seven radiating single-story cell blocks, each containing two ranges of large single cells—8 × 12 feet × 10 feet high—with hot water heating, a water tap, toilet, and individual exercise yards the same width as the cell.<ref name="penitentiary1994" />

There were rectangular openings in the cell wall through which food and work materials could be passed to the prisoner, as well as peepholes for guards to observe prisoners without being seen. To minimize the opportunities for communication between inmates Haviland designed a basic flush toilet for each cell with individual pipes leading to a central sewer which he hoped would prevent the sending of messages between adjacent cells.<ref name="penitentiary1994" />

Despite his efforts, prisoners were still able to communicate with each other and the flushing system had to be redesigned several times. Haviland remarked that he chose the design to promote "watching, convenience, economy, and ventilation".<ref>Norman Johnson, ''Crucible of Good Intentions'': 35</ref> Once construction of the prison was completed in 1836, it could house 450 prisoners.<ref>Johnston, Norman. ''The Human Cage: A Brief History of Prison Architecture''. New York: Walker and Company, 1973.</ref>

Haviland completed the architecture of the Eastern state penitentiary in 1836. Each cell was lit only by a single lighting source from either skylights or windows, which was considered the "Window of God" or "Eye of God". The church viewed imprisonment, usually in isolation, as an instrument that would modify sinful or disruptive behavior. The time spent in prison would help inmates reflect on their crimes committed, giving them the mission for redemption.

==Modern-day historic site==

The Eastern State Penitentiary operates as a museum and historic site, open year-round. Guided tours as well as self-guided audio tours (narrated mainly by [[Steve Buscemi]], with former guards, wardens and prisoners also contributing) are available. A scavenger hunt is available for children.

Visitors are allowed to walk into several specially marked solitary confinement cells, but most of them remain off limits and filled with original rubble and debris from years of neglect. The city skyline of Philadelphia is visible from the prison courtyard, which still has the original baseball backstop and a chain link fence atop the "outfield wall," the outer prison wall, to attempt to keep home run balls inside the grounds.

In addition, Eastern State holds many special events throughout the year. Each July, there is a [[Bastille Day]] celebration, complete with a comedic reinterpretation of the storming of the Bastille and the tossing of thousands of [[Tastykake]]s from the towers,<ref>{{cite news |author=Dobrzynsky, Judith H. |title=For a Summer Getaway, A Model Prison |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 11, 2007 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E0D91039F932A25754C0A961958260&sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=2M |access-date=May 4, 2016}}</ref> accompanied by a cry of "let them eat Tastykake!" from an actor portraying Marie Antoinette. (This Philadelphia tradition ended in 2018.)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bastille Day 2018: The Farewell Tour |date=June 7, 2018 |url=http://www.easternstate.org/press-room/press-releases/bastille-day-2018-farewell-tour |publisher=Eastern State Penitentiary |access-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805110250/https://www.easternstate.org/press-room/press-releases/bastille-day-2018-farewell-tour |url-status=live }}</ref>

The museum attracts close to 220,000 visitors each year.<ref name="Lussenhop">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36163247 |title=Inside decaying US prison, former inmates are guides |last=Lussenhop |first=Jessica |date=May 11, 2016 |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221144545/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36163247 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Religious murals in the prison chaplain's office, painted in 1955 by inmate Lester Smith, remain visible to guests despite damage from exposure to sunlight.<ref name="Lussenhop" />
[[File:Two-story cell block at Eastern State Penitentiary.jpg|alt=View of a two-story cell block at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|thumb|View of a two-story cell block at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
The tour ends with an exhibit titled "Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration" which informs guests about the US prison system today and its failings.<ref name="Lussenhop" />

===Restoration===
The facility was kept in "[[arrested decay|preserved ruin]]", meaning no significant renovation or restoration was attempted, until 1991, when [[The Pew Charitable Trusts]] provided funding so that stabilization and preservation efforts could begin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/learn/timeline |title=Timeline &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |date=August 20, 1929 |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425031932/http://www.easternstate.org/learn/timeline |archive-date=April 25, 2016}}</ref>

====Fundraising and projects====
* '''Perimeter Lighting''': In 2001, the Perimeter Lighting project, funded by the Department of Community and Economic Development ($250,000), and the 2000 Halloween Fundraiser ($50,000) were completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/perimeter-lighting |title=Perimeter Lighting &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124429/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/perimeter-lighting |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''Rotunda and Links Roofing''': In 2002, the Rotunda and Links Roofing project, funded by [[National Trust for Historic Preservation|Save America's Treasures Award]] ($500,000), the City of Philadelphia ($355,000), the Keystone Historic Preservation ($90,000), and the 2002 Halloween Fundraiser ($55,000) was completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/rotunda-and-links-roofing |title=Rotunda and Links Roofing &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124241/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/rotunda-and-links-roofing |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''Industrial Building Stabilization''': In 2003, the Industrial Building Stabilization project, funded by the Eastern State Penitentiary Board of Directors, Senator Vincent J. Fumo, 2001 Annual Appeal, Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission Grant, was completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/industrial-building-stabilization |title=Industrial Building Stabilization &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124137/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/industrial-building-stabilization |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''The Penitentiary Hospital''': In 2003, the Penitentiary Hospital roof stabilization project began, funded by the 2002 Annual Appeal, with work completed in January 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/penitentiary-hospital |title=The Penitentiary Hospital &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124010/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/penitentiary-hospital |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''The Penitentiary Greenhouse''': In 2004, The Penitentiary Greenhouse stabilization project was begun, funded by the 2004 Annual Appeal, and work was completed in April 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/penitentiary-greenhouse |title=The Penitentiary Greenhouse &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418123754/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/penitentiary-greenhouse |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue''': In 2006, the Synagogue project began. Named after prison reformer, founder, and President of the Board of Trustees of Eastern State Penitentiary from 1924 to 1928, the Jewish Synagogue restoration was complete in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/alfred-w-fleisher-memorial-synagogue |title=Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418123640/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/alfred-w-fleisher-memorial-synagogue |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> Funding was spearheaded by a Synagogue Restoration Committee, headed by Cindy Wanerman, and included the Suzanne F. and [[Ralph J. Roberts]] Foundation, the Aileen K. and [[Brian L. Roberts]] Foundation, the Douglas Alfred and Diane Bayles Roberts Foundation, Howard G. and Adele F. Fleisher, the William Portner Family, as well as a long list of other individuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/funders-synagogue-restoration |title=Funders for the Synagogue Restoration &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124821/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/funders-synagogue-restoration |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* '''Eastern State Penitentiary's Solarium Sunshine and Fresh Air Above the Hospital Block''': In 2008, the Solarium project began, funded largely by individual donations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/2007-2008-solarium-roof-restoration-donors |title=2007 – 2008 Solarium Roof Restoration Donors &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124853/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/2007-2008-solarium-roof-restoration-donors |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> Built in 1922, above the hospital to combat tuberculosis, restoration was important not only architecturally but for the future of cell block 3 below.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/1.33/a5522c/ |title=2021 Halloween Nights |website=Interactive Ticketing |access-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809204815/https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/1.33/a5522c/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* '''Eastern State Penitentiary's Kitchen and Bakery''': In 2009, the kitchen and bakery roof stabilization project was begun and completed, funded largely by individual donors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/2008-2009-kitchen-and-bakery-roof-protection-donors |title=2008 – 2009 Kitchen and Bakery Roof Protection Donors &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124843/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/2008-2009-kitchen-and-bakery-roof-protection-donors |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> The project will allow protection for several years while funding for a permanent roof can be procured.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/eastern-state-penitentiarys-kitchen-and-bakery-nuts-and-bolts-food-storage-preparation-and-d |title=Eastern State Penitentiary's Kitchen and Bakery &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418123443/http://www.easternstate.org/support/completed-projects/eastern-state-penitentiarys-kitchen-and-bakery-nuts-and-bolts-food-storage-preparation-and-d |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>
* [[File:RYE 3599.jpg|thumb|Death row cellblock]]'''Death Row, The Last Cell block Built''': In 2011, collections began in preparation for restoration to the roof and drainage system of "cellblock 15". There was actually no one put to death at the penitentiary.
* '''Operating Room''' In 2003 and 2004, Donors to the 2002 Annual Appeal made temporary repairs possible to the roof and drainage system of the operating room and the Recovery Room, that prevented a possible collapse of the roof. It is a significant part of the penitentiary because prior to the 1910 completion, operations were typically carried out in cellblocks. Between 2009 and 2012, the roof was rebuilt over the Solarium and Cellblock 3. Donations were collected from 183 donors<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/donors-operating-room-hospital-block |title=Donors to The Operating Room of the Hospital Block &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418124743/http://www.easternstate.org/donors-operating-room-hospital-block |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> for the $35,000 needed for stabilization and conservation of the Operating Room. The $54,000 collected allowed for implementation of the "Hands-On History" program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/support/operating-room-hospital-block |title=The Operating Room of the Hospital Block &#124; Eastern State Penitentiary |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418122849/http://www.easternstate.org/support/operating-room-hospital-block |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>

In 1996 and 2000, the [[World Monuments Fund]] included Eastern State Penitentiary on its World Monuments Watch, its biennial list of the "Most Endangered" cultural heritage sites.

===Haunted house attraction===
"Halloween Nights",<ref>{{cite web |title=A Halloween Festival of Epic Proportions |url=https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/ |website=Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711140455/https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/ |url-status=live }}</ref> formerly known as "Terror Behind the Walls", is an annual [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|Haunted House]] [[Halloween]] event run by the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. (ESPHS). The first Halloween fundraiser took place on Halloween weekend in 1991.<ref name="Turner">{{Cite journal |last=Turner |first=Bob |title=Copyright: Fright Insite |journal=Tourist Attractions & Parks Magazine |volume=36 |pages=108–115 |date=January 2006 |issue=1}}</ref> The early events took various forms, including short theatrical performances and true tales of prison murder and violence.<ref name="Turner" /> In 1997, the event was [[rebranded]] as "Terror Behind the Walls", becoming a high startle, low gore walkthrough haunted attraction.<ref name="Turner" /><ref>{{cite episode |title=America's Scariest Halloween Attractions |series=Travel Channel, USA |series-link=Travel Channel |airdate=October 27, 2007 |season=1 |number=1}}</ref>

In 2001, it was broken up into three separate, smaller haunted attractions, including a 3-D haunted house. At the time, it was the only 3-D haunted house in Southeastern Pennsylvania and one of the first in the United States.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} In 2003, four semi-permanent haunted attractions were constructed inside the penitentiary complex.<ref name="Turner" />

The 2014 event included six attractions: Lock Down, The Machine Shop, Detritus, Infirmary, The Experiment, and Night Watch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/preview |title=Preview &#124; Terror Behind the Walls |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=May 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501034307/http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/preview |archive-date=May 1, 2016}}</ref> The 2016 event also included six attractions: Lock Down: The Uprising, The Machine Shop, Break Out, Detritus, Infirmary, and Quarantine 4-D.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/preview |title=Preview &#124; Terror Behind the Walls |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=September 14, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907021405/http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/preview |archive-date=September 7, 2016}}</ref> The haunted attraction Blood Yard was added in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/press-room/press-releases/2017-season-overview |title=Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary Announces 2017 Season with New Haunted Attraction Blood Yard |website=Easternstate.org |access-date=March 22, 2019 |archive-date=March 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322051108/https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/press-room/press-releases/2017-season-overview |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Art exhibits===
* '''Ghost Cats''' – When the prison closed in 1971, a colony of [[cat]]s lived inside. When restoration began, the cats were captured and neutered, thus causing them eventually to die off. Artist Linda Brenner sculpted 39 cat sculptures, which surround the property. The sculptures were purposefully made of a material that slowly dissolves over time to represent the inevitable natural decay that faces all living things.
* '''The End of the Tunnel''' – Hundreds of feet of red piping were installed by artist Dayton Castleman representing paths of escape routes used by prisoners.
* '''Recollection Tableaux''' – Six [[diorama]]s were sculpted by artist Susan Hagen to represent important moments in the prison's history. They are scattered around cell block seven.
* '''GTMO''' – A replica of a [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] cell was set up by artist William Cromar inside one of the cells.
* '''Midway of Another Day''' – A metal [[sundial]] set up to show "the passing of time" by Michael Grothusen in the courtyard of cell block one.
* '''I always wanted to go to Paris, France''' – Artist Alexa Hoyer set up three TVs, one in a cell, one in a hallway, and one in a shower room, showing seven decades of prison films. The title 'is from a quotation from one of the film excerpts screened in the prisoner's cell.
* '''Juxtaposition''' – Brothers Matthew and Jonathan Stemler divided cell #34 in cell block 11 horizontally. A grid at the ceiling supports a display of suspended plaster pieces along a single plane. Ground [[mica]] [[schist]] poured onto the floor softens the step and enhances the texture of the space, while a bench provides a vantage point in which to view and consider the overall effect of the piece.
* '''My Glass House''' – An ongoing project set up by artist Judith Taylor by taking black and white pictures of natural [[habitat]] found in the prison's walls. The prints are then turned into glass, and replace the missing glass in the [[greenhouse]] in the courtyard of cell block one.
* [[File:RYE 3600.jpg|thumb|Pictures of victims killed by inmates incarcerated here]]'''Living Space''' – Created by Johanna Inman and Anna Norton, Living Space consists of five videos containing time-lapse photographs of the ways Eastern State Penitentiary is altered by the changes of weather and light. The artists put their cameras in places that make Eastern State Penitentiary unique to capture the subtle ways nature plays upon the structure of the building. The goal was to create photographs which are contemplative. By allowing the public to see the gradual effects of time upon specific places, growth and decay are recognized and explored as components that make Eastern State Penitentiary a more living space.
[[File:Eastern State Penitentiary Purge Incomplete.jpg|thumb|right|Purge Incomplete, Mary Jo Bole's exhibit]]
* '''Purge Incomplete''' – [[Mary Jo Bole]]'s exhibit explores the history of plumbing at the penitentiary. The building had running water before the White House did. Consisting of sculptural pieces made of resin, brass, and frosted glass, Bole's designs are modeled after John Haviland's original design for the plumbing at Eastern State Penitentiary. The exhibit includes views of the plumbing from the vantage point of those residing or working at the prison, including that of the prisoners, prison guards, and the manufacturers of the plumbing. Additionally, the exhibit showcases the sculptures as having both opaque and translucent factors, in which the translucent parts glow within the cells.

==Cultural references==
[[File:Gargoyle 2, Exterior of Eastern State Penitentiary, 2006.JPG|thumb|right | Temporary gargoyle on the exterior of the Eastern State Penitentiary for the [[Halloween]]-themed "Terror Behind the Walls" haunted attraction]]
Due to its ominous appearance, gloomy atmosphere, and long history, Eastern State has been used as a location for television programs and films about [[haunting]]s. [[Paranormal TV]] shows like ''[[Ghost Hunters (TV series)|Ghost Hunters]]'', ''[[Ghost Adventures]]'', ''[[BuzzFeed Unsolved]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHXLbp7x3MM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/XHXLbp7x3MM |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live |title=The Captive Spirits Of Eastern State Penitentiary |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and ''[[MTV's Fear]]'' explored the [[paranormal]] at Eastern State. Eastern State was also used in an episode of ''[[Cold Case (TV series)|Cold Case]]'' titled "The House" which dealt with a murder after an inmate escape. For the show, the prison was renamed Northern State Penitentiary.

On June 1, 2007, ''[[Most Haunted Live!]]'' conducted and broadcast a paranormal investigation live (for the first time in the United States) from Eastern State Penitentiary for seven continuous hours hoping to come in contact with supernatural beings. In the [[PlayStation 2]] game ''[[The Suffering (game)|The Suffering]]'', players can find a video documentary of Eastern State Penitentiary, one of the inspirations for the game.

At least two music videos have been filmed in Eastern State: On July 29, 1985 [[Tina Turner]] filmed her "One of the Living" video in the abandoned prison. Philadelphia punk band the [[Dead Milkmen]]'s breakout hit "Punk Rock Girl" included footage of the band in the prison as well as driving through the surrounding Fairmount neighborhood.

Eastern State has also served as a location in several feature films. [[Terry Gilliam]]'s 1995 film ''[[12 Monkeys (film)|Twelve Monkeys]]'' used it as the setting for a mental hospital. The 1998 film [[Return to Paradise (1998 film)|''Return to Paradise'']] used it as a substitute for a prison in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/locations?ref_=tt_dt_dt |website=IMDB |access-date=July 12, 2018 |title=Return to Paradise (1998) |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221144545/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/locations?ref_=tt_dt_dt |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2000 film ''[[Animal Factory]]'', directed by [[Steve Buscemi]] relied heavily on Eastern State in its portrayal of a prison in a state of advancing decay. In June 2008, [[Paramount Pictures]] used parts of Eastern State Penitentiary for the filming of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]''.

In September 2008, the History Press released ''Eastern State Penitentiary: A History'', the only comprehensive history book currently in print about Eastern State. It was written by Paul Kahan, a historian and former tour guide, with the assistance of the site's education director; the book has a foreword written by the penitentiary's former social worker.

In 2012, the soundtrack to the film ''[[Alpha Girls]]'' was recorded in Eastern State Penitentiary by the band [[Southwork]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178927/trivia |title=Alpha Girls (2013) |work=IMDb |access-date=April 30, 2016 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221144545/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178927/trivia |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Philadelphia|Pennsylvania}}
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in North Philadelphia]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category}}
* Manion, Jen. ''Liberty's Prisoners: Carceral Culture in Early America'' 2015, University of Pennsylvania Press
* Boyd, Bruce "King of the Mountain: The Bruno Family Story" 2016 Ingram Press

==External links==
* {{Official website |1=http://www.easternstate.org/}}
* {{HABS |survey=PA-1729 |id=pa1207 |title=Eastern State Penitentiary |photos=161 |color=15 |data=94 |cap=14}}

{{State prisons in Pennsylvania}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania |state=expanded}}
{{Philadelphia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:1829 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Defunct prisons in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Prison museums in the United States]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Museums in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:History museums in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Haunted attractions (simulated)]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1829]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Fairmount, Philadelphia]]
[[Category:John Haviland buildings]]
[[Category:1971 disestablishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Samuel Sloan buildings]]
[[Category:Prisons on the National Register of Historic Places]]