Eastern State Penitentiary

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Eastern State Penitentiary is a historic former prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, renowned for its revolutionary radial design and as one of the most famous and expensive prisons of the 19th century.


Statements (52)
Predicate Object
instanceOf former prison
historic prison
museum
tourist attraction
addedTo National Register of Historic Places
architecturalStyle Gothic Revival
radial plan
capacity about 250 cells at opening
category Museums in Philadelphia
National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
Prisons in Pennsylvania
city Philadelphia
closed 1971
constructionStart 1822
country United States of America
designedBy John Haviland
designedFor separate system of incarceration
heritageDesignation National Historic Landmark
heritageDesignationDate 1965
hosts Halloween haunted attraction
art installations
special events
inception 1829
influenced radial prison designs in Europe
radial prison designs in the United States
knownFor influence on prison architecture worldwide
innovative 19th-century prison design
strict solitary confinement regime
laterCapacity over 1,000 prisoners at peak
location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
near Philadelphia Museum of Art
neighborhood Fairmount
notableFeature castle-like exterior
central surveillance hub
high stone walls
radial cellblock layout
notableInmate Al Capone
Willie Sutton
NRHPListingDate October 15, 1966
offers audio tours
educational programs
guided tours
opened October 25, 1829
openToPublic yes
operatedAs historic site
museum of mass incarceration
operatedBy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
ownedBy City of Philadelphia
penalPhilosophy solitary confinement
postalCode 19130
state Pennsylvania
streetAddress 2027 Fairmount Avenue

Referenced by (6)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Fairmount
Philadelphia
hasLandmark
Willie Sutton
escapeFrom
Fairmount ("Eastern State Penitentiary historic site and museum")
hasCulturalInstitution
Fairmount ("Eastern State Penitentiary National Historic Landmark")
hasHistoricSite
Parkway Museums District ("Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site")
hasMuseum

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