Program areas at ESP
Daytime tour program:esphs offers a variety of daytime Historic tours and exhibits to the public including, but not limited to, audio tours, guided tours, history and historical exhibits and artist installations. Prior to the shutdowns (3/14/2020-8/7/2020 and again 11/16/2020-3/12/2021), these tours were offered seven days a week, twelve months a year. Upon reopening 3/12/2021, esphs reduced its schedule to wednesday through sunday, with added virtual group programming and night tours. On 5/01/2022 esphs returned to the seven days a week operations. Attendance for all the various daytime tours in 2022 was 190,153 compared to 136,776 in 2021. The attendance includes 18,965 from the night tour program.
Exhibits: in 2022 esphs presented a mix of history exhibits and contemporary exhibits focusing on contemporary u.s. prison policy, as well as sixteen art installations. Installations include "the voices of Eastern State audio tour," featuring the voices of 35 people who lived and worked in the prison. Smaller exhibits include al capone's cell, which portrays capone's unusual treatment during his incarceration here, and a restored cell from the 1830s. An exhibit on jewish life adjoins the Penitentiary synagogue, and 23 inmate painted murals are interpreted in the catholic chaplain's office. "prisons today: questions in the age of mass incarceration, and "the big graph" invite reflection on contemporary us prison policy, and connections between the past, the present, and visitors' hopes for the future. An ambitious new artist installation, "dlp mirror" (mark menjivar) was added to the death row cellblock, opened for the first time, in 2022. It brought the number of artist installations to 16. Others include " "deadly weapons" (linda bond) and transient room (ann reichlin), "photo requests from solitary" (solitary watch's jean casella, jeanne oleson and laurie jo reynolds) "doris jean" (rachel livedalen); "apokaluptein:16389067 ii" (jesse krimes'), "chorus" (jess perlitz); "specimen" (greg cowper); "beware the lily law"( michelle handelman); "gtmo" (william cromar); "identity control" (tyler held); "a climber's guide to Eastern State Penitentiary" (alexander rosenberg); and "#blackgirlhood" (dehanza rogers).
Historic preservation:after the last prisoners left Eastern State Penitentiary in 1971, the prison stood for over twenty years, untouched, with no maintenance or care, causing the buildings and structures of this national Historic landmark to fall into a State of severe deterioration. The Site's condition threatened both its structural and educational future, prevented or drastically hindered public tours of the grounds and prohibited interpretation of the Site's place in american history; thus, stabilization and preservation of the entire Site and all of its structures was, and continues to be, of vital importance. Esphs's restoration activities provide visitors with a clear understanding of the prison's history, its design and use, and how the Site changed and evolved over time. In 2022, in addition to the $608,181 of expenses spent on general maintenance, and the allocation of $375,240 of depreciation, esphs completed $164,449 of leasehold improvements. Leasehold improvements included the completion of upgrades to the following areas: perimeter wall stabilization, electrical upgrades including emergency lighting, and other masonry projects.
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