EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY HISTORIC SITE INC
2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.easternstate.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. works to preserve and restore the architecture of Eastern State Penitentiary; to make the Penitentiary accessible to the public; to explain and interpret its complex history; to place current issues of corrections and justice in an historical framework; and to provide a public forum where these issues are discussed. The program is built on the belief that the problems facing Eastern State Penitentiary's architects have not yet been solved, and that the issues these early prison reformers addressed remain of central importance to our nation. Eastern State Penitentiary's innovative preservation, interpretation, and public programs will move visitors to engage in dialogue and deepen the national conversation about criminal justice.

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site interprets the legacy of American criminal justice reform, from the nation's founding through to the present day, within the long-abandoned cellblocks of the nation's most historic prison.

Daytime tour program:ESPHS offers a variety of daytime historic tours and exhibits to the public including, but not limited to, audio tours, guided tours, history and historical exhibits and artist installations seven days a week, twelve months a year. Attendance in 2019 for all of the various daytime tours was 310,840, a 14.5% increase over 2018.

Historic Preservation:After the last prisoners left Eastern State Penitentiary in 1971, the prison stood for over twenty years, untouched, with no maintenance or care, causing the buildings and structures of this National Historic Landmark to fall into a state of severe deterioration. The site's condition threatened both its structural and educational future, prevented or drastically hindered public tours of the grounds and prohibited interpretation of the site's place in American history; thus, stabilization and preservation of the entire site and all of its structures was, and continues to be, of vital importance. ESPHS's restoration activities provide visitors with a clear understanding of the prison's history, its design and use, and how the site changed and evolved over time. In 2019, in addition to the $651,919 of expenses spent on general maintenance, and the allocation of $529,463 of depreciation, ESPHS completed $622,194 of leasehold improvements. Leasehold improvements included the completion of upgrades to the following areas: Al Capone Cell, perimeter lighting surrounding the prison walls, roofing, stabilization of the perimeter wall, thegreenhouse reconstruction, and masonry work completed on the industrial building.In 2019, Eastern State began the first phase on construction for a planned visitor center. When completed, the new Visitor Center will improve visitor flow, provide enhanced visitor amenities (like flush toilets), and expand access to the site for those of all abilities.

Exhibits:In 2019 ESPHS presented a mix of history exhibits and contemporary exhibits focusing on contemporary U.S. prison policy, as well as eleven art installations. New for 2019 was "Hidden Lives Illuminated," a month-long showing 20 animated short films that were created by incarcerated artists for viewing on the penitentiary walls.History and Contemporary installations include: "Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration and "The Big Graph." Throughout the site there were small exhibits illustrating or expanding upon aspects of ESPHS's history. These include Al Capone's cell, which portrays Capone's special treatment during his incarceration. Another exhibit portrays a typical cell from the 1830s, providing visitors with the ability to visualize the inmate's accommodations in ESPHS's early years. An exhibit on Jewish life adjoins the Synagogue and 23 inmate painted murals are interpreted in the Catholic Chaplain's Office.Eleven art installations continued from previous years and ESPHS introduced two new art installations. The remaining exbibits include Solitary Watch with Jean Casella, Jeanne Oleson and Laurie Jo Reynolds installed "Photo Requests from Solitary", "Doris Jean" by Rachael Livedalen, "An Electric Kite", Jared Scott Owens' "Sepulture", Jesse Krimes' "Apokaluptein: 16389067 II", Jess Perlitz's "Chorus", Greg Cowper's installation "Specimen", Michelle Handelman's installation "Beware the Lily Law", William Cromar's piece "GTMO", and Tyler Held "Identity Control".The two new installations include Alex Rosenberg: A Climber's Guide to Eastern State Penitentiary or, Eastern State's Architecture, and How to Escape It, and Dehanza Rogers: #BlackGirlhood.The remaining exbibits include Solitary Watch with Jean Casella, Jeanne Oleson and Laurie Jo Reynolds installed "Photo Requests from Solitary", "Doris Jean" by Rachael Livedalen, "An Electric Kite", Jared Scott Owens' "Sepulture", Jesse Krimes' "Apokaluptein: 16389067 II", Jess Perlitz's "Chorus", Greg Cowper's installation "Specimen", Michelle Handelman's installation "Beware the Lily Law", William Cromar's piece.

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