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September 19, 2009
Eastern State Penitentiary Tour
Visit the Eastern State Penitentiary with your fellow MIT Alums.
Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," Eastern State Penitentiary quickly became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in the young United States. It is estimated that more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.
Some of America's most notorious criminals were held in the Penitentiary's vaulted, sky-lit cells, including bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone. After 142 years of consecutive use, Eastern State Penitentiary was completely abandoned in 1971, and now stands, a lost world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers.
Note that the site remains in a state of semi-ruin. Children under 7 years old are not permitted. Sandals and open-toed shoes are not recommended.
Photos by Tom Bernard & Elena Bouvier, courtesy of E.S. Penitentiary
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Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Time: 11:30 AM
Group Lunch (Dutch treat) following tour nearby at Jack's Firehouse Restaurant
Location: Eastern State Penitentiary
2124 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: 215-236-3300
Eastern Penitentiary Web site, Map, Directions
Cost: $9 for Dues-paying Club members & their guests
$15 for non-members
$7 for children 7 through 18
Children under 7 not permitted
Reservations: via MIT Infinite Connection:
https://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/register-login.vm?eventID=35722&groupID=158
Club Membership -- Join or Renew on-line:
https://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/user/PayDues.dyn?groupID=158
For Questions: Tracy Sadowski
e-mail: tracys@alum.mit.edu
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Posted by webmaster at 11:30 AM