Eastern State Penitentiary | Philadelphia Travelogues

The Fairmount district of Philadelphia is marked by a row of world-class museums and sprinkled throughout with streets lined with brownstones. And then right in the middle of the neighborhood is a huge former prison: The Eastern State Pentitentiary. It was the first prison truly designed with ‘penitence’ (reform vs. punishment’) in mind, and its design became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. With a distinctive wagon-wheel layout and hallways meant to mimic churches, it’s strangely beautiful for its architecture. It is now a U.S. National Historic Landmark with daily tours and annual haunted house events for halloween.

 

The audio tour covers just two or three of the many hallways that radiate from the center point of the penitentiary, but after you complete that, you’re free to wander and explore the rest of the prison.

Not creepy at all.

One of the most interesting parts of the penitentiary: one wing dedicated as exhibition space. The cell below was lined with artwork from an artist Jesse Krimes who created this mural while he was in federal prison.He used newspaper transfers and bed sheets, mailing the work one panel at a time from prison.

Below on the left, “Cozy,” an installation that encased the cell with knitting.

Paintings of victims and those impacted by the prisoners.

Haunting.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.