Eastern State Penitentiary
2124 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: (215) 236-5111

Eastern State Penitentiary Website

Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," the prison quickly became one of the most expensive and most copied prisons in the United States with more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.  Famous inmates at the prison included bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone.  Eastern State Penitentiary was completely abandoned in 1971. In 1984 the first limited group tours of the building began that year.  In 1991 stabilization and preservation efforts begin and the facility  opened for historic tours on a daily basis in 1994.  The museum offers permanent museum exhibits and an on-site art exhibition, Prison Sentences. Other exhibits include the cell of Capone, who spent eight months at Eastern State in 1929, which is restored to its state then. Open Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Last entry 4 p.m.) No reservations necessary.  Children under the age of 7 cannot be admitted. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, and the entire months of December, January, February and March. Ticket Office. (215) 236-3300