EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY

CLIENT
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc.

LOCATION
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

STRUCTURE
Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," the stone site became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in America.  More than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.

CHALLENGE
When the site closed its doors of operation in 1971, the 11-acre site was left to decay until a small group was formed to study and stabilize the historic prison.  The multitude of problems present is rising damp, mold, masonry loss, structural failures, water infiltration, wood rot, metal corrosion, vegetative growth… and the list goes on.

SCOPE OF SERVICE
  • Starting in 1988, Sam Harris has continuously been involved in providing architectural and engineering studies and designs to stabilize the structures that make-up the prison site.
  • S. Harris & Co. provides assessments, roofing design, plaster inspections, code compliance reviews, office and lavatory design, space studies, construction management, and general on-call services for various conditions and remediation recommendations.
SOLUTION
  • Providing construction documents and supervision of all roofing renovations.
  • Documenting problematic conditions and providing remediation plans.
  • Working with Hazmat crews to release portions of the site for staff offices, public access and other staff uses.
  • Working with code officials, preparing and applying for renovations within the site that will comply with the current building and safety standards.
HISTORIC STATUS
Eastern State Penitentiary is a National Historic Landmark and is under consideration for a World Heritage Site nomination.