Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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.
The exterior of the Eastern State Penitentiary. | |
| Location | 2027 Fairmount Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°58′6″N 75°10′21″W |
| Status | Closed (now a museum) |
| Population | ~400 prisoners (from 1829 to 1877) |
| Opened | 1829 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Warden | Samuel R. Wood (1829-40) Robert McKenty (1908-1923) |
| Website | easternstate |
Eastern State Penitentiary | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
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Pennsylvania State Historical Marker | |
| Area | 11 acres (45,000 m2) |
| Built | 1829 |
| Architect | John Haviland |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000680 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | June 23, 1965 |
| Designated PHMC | May 2, 1996 |
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. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.
The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year, 10 am to 5 pm.