Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary
The exterior of the Eastern State Penitentiary.
Map
Location2027 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°58′6″N 75°10′21″W / 39.96833°N 75.17250°W / 39.96833; -75.17250
StatusClosed (now a museum)
Population~400 prisoners (from 1829 to 1877)
Opened1829
Closed1971
WardenSamuel R. Wood (1829-40)
Robert McKenty (1908-1923)[1]
Websiteeasternstate.org
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Pennsylvania
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary is located in the United States
Eastern State Penitentiary
Area11 acres (45,000 m2)[2]
Built1829
ArchitectJohn Haviland
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.66000680
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[4]
Designated NHLJune 23, 1965[5]
Designated PHMCMay 2, 1996[3]

The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[6] It is located in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration, first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail, which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.[7]

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.[8] At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States,[9] and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.

The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark,[5] which is open to the public as a museum for tours six days a week (no Tuesdays), twelve months a year, 10 am to 5 pm.

  1. ^ "Warden Robert McKenty". September 26, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "ESP :: History :: Timeline". Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Eastern State Penitentiary". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  6. ^ "Home | Eastern State Penitentiary". Easternstate.org. February 2, 2016. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  7. ^ Paul Kahan, Eastern State Penitentiary: A History (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008)
  8. ^ King of the Mountain The Bruno Family Story by Bruce Boyd 2016
  9. ^ Johnston, Norman. Eastern State Penitentiary: Crucible of Good Intentions. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994.

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