What I found so interesting about Eastern State Penitentiary was how closely its rehabilitation philosophy was tied to its architecture and Christianity shrouded in a secular, even civic mask. As we walked through the buildings, I kept noticing things that reminded me of a church or a sacred space. The skylights, for example, at the top of each cell, were known as the “Eye of God”, and meant to remind the prisoners that God was always there, watching. The rooms were painted a soft white and absent of images, this was to help prisoners remain in a state of contemplation.
Eastern State Penitentiary was meant to be a place for penance and rehabilitation. The idea was that sinners would leave having the “right” morals, and it is claimed to have had a very high success rate. Over time, as the city’s population increased, more cells were added to accommodate the growing demand, and with that the penitentiary started to lose its reputation as a rehabilitation center and became just another prison. The story of Eastern State Penitentiary illustrates a seemingly gentler time where architecture play an important role in a building's philosophy and purpose, and a time when people believe rehabilitation was possible.