EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY

Abandoned Infirmary

The Eastern State Penitentiary, also known as ESP, is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street 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.

Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside its innovative wagon wheel design. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.

The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a museum for tours.

jailred crossinfirmaryEastern State PenitentiaryPhiladelphiaPAPennsylvaniaabandoneddecay