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EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY - CELL BLOCK 1 ROOF CLIENT Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. LOCATION Philadelphia, Pennsylvania STRUCTURE Cell Block One was the first cell block constructed based on John Haviland’s original design. As it is the oldest of the original blocks and the closest surviving example of Haviland’s concept, Cell Block One has been designated as having the highest level of historical significance and has been managed accordingly, meaning among other things that the preservation of original fabric and construction is paramount. The condition of the roof in the late 1990s was approaching failure… the northwest Edge had failed utterly as it intersected a later vertical addition to exercise yards… the skylights were releasing… and the sheet metal roofing, generally, was rapidly approaching complete failure. CHALLENGE The ideal prescription for Cell Block One may have been a rigorous restoration in kind and manner of the now failing roof; however, the cost of such a restoration was prohibitive especially confronted with the multitude of competing failures and impending failures. The challenge became how we could render consummate regard of the original fabric, arrest water penetration, intervene at minimum cost, and to do so in a manner that could survive and perform for twenty years or more. SCOPE OF SERVICE
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