EARLY PENITENTIARY DESIGN

HISTORY OF AMERICAN PRISON DESIGN 1790-1836

Submitted to Dr. Williams, In partial fulfillment of the requirements for completion of Honors College 233: Research on American Prisons

20 pages

Abstract

There is little research done on the development of the early penitentiary model and how its history shaped its architectural dialect. Historiography surrounding the early models of penitentiary architecture are confined to singular locations of study. This essay aims at a cross examination between the three earliest penitentiary designs. The integration between their individual histories align to accumulate the foundation for reformed penological design. Primary sources used, most notably, are architectural reviews, visits from observers, notes from architects, architectural plans, and photographs.

The first three prisons of penitentiary reform all had distinct and important contributions to the foundational practices of the penitentiary design. Conclusions point to the Walnut Street Jail setting foundations regarding materiality, small confines, and individual cell design. Western State Penitentiary’s initial design is a precedent bridging connection between solitary confinement and structural design and how critical they are to the longevity, or lack thereof, for a prison. Finally, the Eastern State Penitentiary was the first successful and long-established design to fully encapsulate architectural integration between design and penitentiary penology.