A few weekends ago I took a spontaneous trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. What I love about spontaneity is the air of not knowing. You never know what your day will have in store - anything is possible! So I saw a great show by Anderson .Paak on a Friday night and drove straight up to Philly right after.
After wandering around the city Saturday morning, visiting the Liberty Bell and finding Ben Franklin quotes and statues at every corner, my travel buddy and I found our way to the Center for Architecture. There was an interesting display in the gallery of notable architecture sites to visit around the city. One in particular caught my eye - the Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP). After reading the short blurb about the building, I knew I had to go. We changed up our relatively inexistent travel itinerary and hailed an Uber across town (by way of the Barnes Foundation and a Philly Cheesesteak stand first).
At this point you're probably asking why I voluntarily went to prison. It's ok - the Uber driver asked us the same thing. For those of you unfamiliar with the place, the building is a former prison. The structure opened in 1829 as the world's first penitentiary with a revolutionary new system of rehabilitating prisoners through penitence versus punishment. ESP closed its doors in the 70's and fell into neglect. Plans for its redevelopment were introduced in the 80's, but preservationists ultimately won out, using a the typology of a museum to educate visitors on America's prison system.
Unlike many historic structures that have been spared from the demolishing ball, ESP wears its age on its sleeves. The paint is cracked and peeling off, rubble is present in many of the open cells, and even tree roots can be seen coming in through some of the walls. Yet this is where the true beauty of the building lies. ESP doesn't try to be perfect; it's decaying. Yet you see the effects of time with your own eyes. For me, there's something romantic about these places. Not saying date night should be at the old state prison, but for me it's hard not to fall in love with these crumbling buildings. The question is, what can I do as an architect to make them significant? More importantly, how can this be the basis of a thesis project? If only I had a Delorean with a flux capacitor to drive off into the future at 88 mph...