Eastern State Penitentiary, Prison museum in Fairmount, Philadelphia, United States.
Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison in Philadelphia whose grey and tan stone wall, crenellated towers and slit windows imitate a medieval castle. Inside, seven two-storey cellblocks radiate from a central hub, and each corridor is lit by a flat ceiling pierced with rectangular skylights.
John Haviland designed the prison, built from 1822 on the eleven-acre Cherry Hill property and opened on October 25, 1829. Its separate confinement system, with heated skylit cells, became the model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. It operated until 1971 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
The prison's name comes from its original designation, Cherry Hill State Prison, after the eleven-acre site the state bought in 1821. Al Capone's cell has been reconstructed and can be seen on the tour, and the exhibition now includes a cell modelled on those used at Guantánamo Bay.
Visitors receive audio guide devices with headphones for self-guided walks through the cellblocks, with stations covering escapes, daily routines and famous inmates including Al Capone. Sturdy footwear is recommended due to uneven surfaces in deteriorated areas.
The radial layout with individual exercise yards enabled total isolation, with inmates wearing masks during corridor movements to prevent mutual recognition. Some prisoners spent years without direct contact with other people except guards.
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