Eastern State seeks donors for welcome center, exhibit ahead of 250th
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Eastern State Penitentiary is seeking donors to close a funding gap as it works to stand up a new welcome center and fund exhibit upgrades ahead of the nation's 250th birthday.
Why it matters: Since reopening in 1994, the former penitentiary has transformed into an educational hub and tourist draw, welcoming more than a quarter of a million visitors a year interested in learning about our country's criminal justice system.
State of play: Philly has invested $620 million to prepare for this year's packed slate of events — and many cultural institutions are pursuing their own overhauls as they prepare to serve as visitors' first impression of the city.
The big picture: Eastern State, which once housed infamous inmates like Al Capone and bank robber "Slick Willie" Sutton, was opened in 1829 and was recognized as the world's first penitentiary.
- Shuttered in 1971, the former prison sat abandoned for more than 20 years before it reopened and began hosting history tours in 1994.
- It now holds a busy calendar of events, including its popular Halloween Nights festival with five haunted houses sprawled across its 11-acre grounds.
Driving the news: The prison has met 90% of its $2.7 million fundraising goal, boosted by a more than $807,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation.
- The funding will support construction of a new welcome center, expected to open next spring, including an orientation desk for visitors, restrooms (the prison currently lacks permanent public facilities), and upgraded lighting and signage.
- The center is a capstone initiative to the prison's semiquincentennial programming, "A Time for Liberty," exploring the nation's evolving ideas of freedom and justice.
Fun fact: When it opened, the penitentiary became the first government building with running water and central heat.
- Even then-President Andrew Jackson was still using a chamber pot in the White House.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the prison's fundraising goal and anticipated open date for the new welcome center.