john james pron

As a building on the National Register, the ESP is fully protected against future desecration and misuse. NOTHING can be altered in perpetuity. In knowing disregard of this canon, and recognizing that the entire complex is so huge (11 acres) and without the funds to preserve it, I am instead proposing to preserve the HALF of it currently being visited and full of active programming, (seen in dark grey poche in the bigger site plan, above). Then I would restore those remaining and inaccessible cellblocks and as well as empty the cluttered courtyards for new uses. This is the philosophy of ADAPTIVE REUSE, namely preserving and enhancing those primary parts of a building complex that embody the “soul” of the original building, while altering the remaining secondary parts that serve contemporary lifestyle usages. A philosophy of both/and rather than either/or.

Eastern State Penitentiary (at 2027 Fairmount Avenue, originally open fields just northeast of the city of Philadelphia , once the world’s largest and most expensive house of incarceration, was designed by architects John Haviland In contrast to the common practice of crowding multiple prisoners of all ages, sexes and crimes in group cells (as well as subjecting convicts to outdoor public labor- subject to the jeers and insults of citizens), a new Quaker-motivated philosophy was instituted.- something first partially explored at the old Walnut St Prison. It was believed that solitary confinement will allow an inmate regretful and penitent (thus the word “penitentiary”)- reform rather than punishment. It had individual cells as well as individual exercise yards to support that concept. Additionally, guards and inmates were fully separated: the panopticon concept (a single focal point with radiating wings- here, the central guard tower) allows maximum observation while minimizing potentially brutal staffing contact). The motivations were laudable: Quakers believe that there is good in all people, that everyone merits respect, and that crime is a result of negative societal influences. Given the opportunity to thoughtfully contemplate where one went wrong, anyone can them be redeemed and rehabilitated.

This philosophy, however well-meaning, proved wrong: isolated incarceration is recognized today as a form of abuse and torture.

The Philadelphia History Museum (PHM) is the former Atwater Kent Museum- existed from 1938 til 2018, when it closed due to inadequate funding coupled with a serious lack of visitors. Its closure was a civic tragedy, but Drexel University came forward in recent months to rescue its collections, promising to make them accessible again. But how to and what next? While NOTHING of the ESP’s existing programming and public usage would be altered, this architectural design proposal seeks to integrate this museum into its unused portions. Thus, the new name, the ESP+PHM.

The previous Atwater Kent was idiosyncratic, its collections of well over 100,000 items was more random and quirky than comprehensive or systematic. In a city with so many museums, it is not a blockbuster and couldn’t complete with nearby newer ones like the African American Museum, the National Jewish Museum, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Seaport Museum and the National Constitution Center. In its original location- at the center of the historic tourist visitor district, it had little appeal. Better to locate it elsewhere, closer to the city’s neighborhoods, communities and residents.

Not only has the supremely elegant design of the panopticon- plus-wings concept been compromised with the clutter of endless clumsy additions, but the experience of the visitor today to the rotted cells and decrepit corridors is NOT what the early inmates experienced. The facility today functions as a haunted house at Halloween and features such frivolous activities as a Bastille-Day candy toss from the ramparts. It can be rented for weddings and banquets. All of this is a poor commentary on a facility whose history is that of sadness, failure and punishment.

The original Neo-Medieval exterior was constructed in the early 1820;s, but in 1934 a clumsy stone vestibule was added to the central gate to provide doubled-up security for comings and goings. The original architect John Haviland also designed the Atwater Kent’s landmark Greek Revival structure at exactly the same time. Its monumental square columns still stand on Chestnut Street below Market, even though the museum spaces are empty.

Since within the walled precinct, the existing and the new institutions will now coexist, this modified entry identifies that duality. The Atwater facade will front the 1934 vestibule. Entry for both is accomodated: the ESP activities are entirely on the ground floor, while the new PHM design brings one up to a second level bridge and then into the exhibition wings.

And so, now, that walled precinct can now be fully occupied. It is not just about one institution but about the city as a whole. It is not just about the past and present, but now adds the future. It continues to preserve what is original and unique, but just not what it is endlessly so. It is both/and- both Historic Preservation AND Adaptive Reuse.

Though over time, the original layout has been jammed full with awkward additions and since being abandoned in 1971, the Penitentiary, as is, bears witness to the decrepitude of 50 years of total neglect, with everything rotted, moldy and in partial collapse. See the top layer of photos.

But realize that it was NOT AT ALL the original experience of the earliest inmates. the rendered drawing at the bottom layer shows the furnishings and condition of the original cells.

Compare that re-created chamber to a traditional Catholic monastery monk’s cell: a place of individual contemplation, but also furnished and supplemented with the tools of Christian spirituality- a crucifix, a bible, a rosary, etc. Yes, of course, the prisoner is unwillingly incarcerated, not the monk. But, in my design, I have chosen to use each cell as a quiet space not for a single human being to contemplate, but now for a single visitor (or 2) to contemplate a selected museum object artifact or archived document.

One single cellblock- the one on axis with the front door- will be left in its ruinous state- a monument to 50 years of abandonment.

The other 4 museum wings, rotating from the lower left SW corner, a dedicated to the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Well-meaning Quakers who supported isolation in single cells because they felt that this decision was most humane, and so the monastery did indeed provide an appropriate architectural model. Walled in a medieval-like defensive manner, there was more danger from the riotous corruptions of city streets outside than from the fear of inmates somehow escaping and doing collective harm. There is no heirarchy in the repetitive arrangement of the cells- no one can be overtly singled out either for abuse or preferential treatment. The cellblock corridors clearly evoke the naves of cathedrals, with light flooding from above and imperfect mankind struggling below. There is not a focal point high altar at the end of the axis- there wouldn’t be. But the goal of each prisoner is to make their own life on earth, move toward the light above and and the end of the corridor, toward eventual freedom on earth.

These particular PHM cellblock wings would be cleaned up, restored, relit, and replastered. Side walls might be opened to additional cell chambers, or it it might connect to the little courtyard or spaces beyond. Even the separating wall to the corridor could be opened up- each space tailored to the particulars of the historic artifact.

Newer history museum theories focus on becoming more equitable, relevant and impactful. How to connect users on a deep emotional level, “so its about me, my experience, my interest”. These museums are not necessarily sequential, and do not demand convenient beginnings or endings. They allow for multiple interpretations from diverse sources. And so, instead of thousands of archival documents overloading the cupboards and shelves, they are very selective about much fewer, more powerfully meaningful displays.

The chambers are small (though one can double or triple them for bigger displays) and could never accommodate crowds. A few stools to encourage viewers to stay. Contemplate the object. Read labels pro and con, fact and fiction. Form your own opinion. History is upclose and personal.

The four reconstituted “Prison Yards” (in green), rotate around the central axis, each one broadly dedicated to a century of city history. From the SW corner:

YARD 1: PRE-PHILADELPHIA. The history of the region, of the land and waters and of the tribes who lived there for many centuries prior to William Penn- this is all an important part of the history. Call it “Shackamaxon”- the Lenni Lenapi’s name for the region. Make this triangle a tribal land (not freely open to non-tribal peoples) and densely plant it with the indigenous trees original to the state.

YARD 2: PAST PHILADELPHIA. Pave it with maybe 75,000 flat stones, equal to the total number of inmates in 142 years of operation. Engrave all the known names, what we know of their conviction, their life before and (especially) their life after. Quaker values affirm that all human beings are entitled to dignity. Incarceration is always a personal as well as a societal tragedy. Remember them.

YARD 3: PRESENT PHILADELPHIA in the northwestern triangle. What are those currently controversial PUBLIC personages and PUBLIC issues that Philadelphians struggle with: Frank Rizzo, Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, Mumia Abu Jamal, Leif Erichson, others. This space is an external “holding tank” for their artifacts until their fate gets settled. It may take months, years, maybe never. What merits a monument? Who can share its values? Placed where?

YARD 4: FUTURE PHILADELPHIA. Where is our history going? Do you realize that YOU personally can shape it? Stone bins cut into the perimeter wall here can freely collect ideas and artifacts- anyone can submit for consideration. These are the issues and ideas that PRECEDE markers and monuments- if at all ever needed: gun control, abortion, immigration, global warming, BLM, systemic racism- all issues that maybe require action more than artsy “things” to display and remind or remember. This Yard will install all sorts of temporary mechanisms that seek opinions and document commitments. The final cellblock (dedicated to the current century and very much in process) is the former hospital wing- many times remodeled and so very flexible. It may be that- in this increasing digital and virtual world of sophisticated technology- the museum may take a radically different spatial arrangement than rows of cells.

The central panopticon/guard tower is clearly the all-controlling center of the complex. and majestically dominates the skyline’s geometric layout- although few people would have ever experienced it. In this scheme, that will now be substantially changed, by demolishing the masonry clutter between the original cellblocks and this octagonal center.

The PHM experience ends at the CHRYSALIS- a word derived from the ancient Greek chrysos (meaning “golden”) and applied to the hard shiny outer casing that protects the pupa of butterflies. Metaphorically, it marks a transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Rather than simply dumping exiting visitors out onto the sidewalk, this architectural Chrysalis is a new glassy semi-domed chamber that serves as a gathering place, whether individuals or classroom students, clusters of elders or tourists led by professional guides. The new concepts of history museums seek ways to engage visitors in soliciting ideas and topics, look for ways to make collaborations from communities as well as from “the people on the street”. They also invite reactions and do not shy away from exploring and discussing sensitive, uncomfortable or controversial issues. They want to put history to work.

The Chrysalis is a place to pause and consider, meant to accommodate both group discussions as well as private contemplations. No one should leave this monastery-like enclave without processing their experience.

Aside from the theme of the proposal as well as the specifics of the content- the character and the aesthetic integrity of the installation is to be carefully considered. One cannot touch the existing decaying wall, and so the proposal requires a framework installation that skims the sidewalls and accommodates the suspension of architectural drawings. Keeping with the new/old dichotomy, the framing will be highly contemporary- shiny or brightly colored, with bold, crisp metallic connections.

Part of the Rome50 celebration, where Temple University marked the 50th anniversary of its Rome campus, this show brings together the creative work of 7 young artist/architects- 5 of them alumni of the TempleRome Program- along with myself (who taught at Rome and also had two sabbaticals there to do gallery shows based on my Rome perceptions.  

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created hundreds of etched renderings of his beloved city in the mid-18th century- a pastiche of ancient ruins jostling against boldly conceived Baroque churches, palazzos and piazzas.  And he presented them very dramatically with exaggerated perspectives and moody lighting.  

My chosen site is the extensive railroad tracks that line the Schuykill River to either side of the 30th Street Station.  I have two challenges to meet: to removed the highway alongside the river at the water's edge, throw them high overhead on viaducts,  and then replace it with convenient, attractive pedestrian access to the river.   Ideas and images gleaned from Piranesi

Overview of the bend in the Schuykill River, looking from center city toward West Philadelphia and University City.  There are indeed tall glassy office towers beginning to surround 30th Station and the old Post Office, but large swaths of acreage extend to either side- the University of Pennsylvania's athletic fields to the south (left) and large railroad yards to the north (right).  

My masterplan intends to cover it all over, infilling the huge open trough between the two dense parts of the city with both hi rise office and institutional towers, as well as low rise, densely configured residential neighborhoods.  

Some of Piranesi's renderings fantasized a Campo Marzio based on the ancient Campus Martius of ancient Rome- an area of collective urban activities- bathhouses, theaters, athletic facilities as well as major temples- that were geometrically controlled within each other but jostled together like "noodles floating in a soup"- all in high contract to the intricate organic meanderings of the older ancient/medieval neighborhoods shown in Nolli's mappings.

In the plan, with West Philadelphia to the top and center city to the bottom, additional bridge connections weave vehicular traffic as well as bike and pedestrian path together, a contemporary "Campo Marzio" of office and institutional towers surrounds 30th St Station (shown in red), and the Nolli-esque neighborhoods infill the interstices.   New highway viaducts arc overhead.  

This is one of the great interior spaces of Philadelphia- very similar to the grand basilican churches of Early Christian Rome that were, in turn, influenced by the secular basilican halls of the ancient world- places to worship, to negotiate business decisions, to confront legal issues...but also to socialize, to doze on a chair or a step, to view the many fine art works of the regime or shrine.

Blurring Piranesi (in black and white) with contemporary photos (in color), the magnificently detailed and masterfully lit interior is open 24/7, invites all classes of people to freely utilize it and now even serves as a display gallery for the many artworks houses by the nearby (and rarely visited) Univ of PA Archeological Museum- works from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, the Far East, Native American and Inca/Maya/Aztec.  "Art without Borders", freely accessed- to be seen and maybe touched.  

The I-76 highway that passes underneath 30th St Station- just barely skimming the water's edge of the Schuykill River- is a fast-passed, narrow, dark, claustrophobic traffic nightmare with frequent accidents causing center city gridlock.  And, eventually, the rising water levels caused by global warming will necessitate it being moved.  

Removing the highway would now allow a gracious, stepped access to the river along one of its most dramatic stretches- from the Art Museum past center city.  And with the newly planted greenery, walkways and recreational facilities of center city's Schuykill River Park, rather than symmetrically replicate it, let it be densely developed with shops, cafes, water landings and aquatic recreational facilities....much like Piranesi's etching of the (now demolished) Porta Ripetta in Rome.

The new office towers, condominiums and institutional building complexes will rise up behind it- Philadelphia's Campo Marzio echoing the skyline of Dubai.  

Piranesi documented many of Rome's ruined aqueducts- selectively demolished  by  barbarian armies cutting off water to the city.  

Philadelphia has its intact water resources, but to the north of the site, the hundreds of feet of the brick arches of the CSX railroad freight line stand as the longest high masonry arcade in the United States.   Inspired by Piranesi, continue these arcades, arc them higher over the area and construct them as multilevel highways, incorporating the existing train tracks but also traffic lanes carrying I-76 as well as the Vine Street extension interchange.  

Instead of a sub-ground level traffic nightmare, motorists now have the exhilarating experience of viewing the dual skylines of a major American city as they pass into and thru the region.  And then the ground level can thrive as a pedestrian-focused urban center.  

Piranesi published many etchings of the catacombs, tombs and collapsed corridors under palace floors- in Rome and nearby Hadrian's Villa.  One very clear aspect of his city was the clear distinction between the sky, the ground level, and the underground.  Unlike so many contemporary multi-level complexes where one finds these three zones detailed and lit interchangeably.

In this image, I have constituted the Amtrak train level beneath the station as an "Underworld"- dark, dank, intimidating, suffocating- where one quickly moves out and up, into the sunlight, into the spacious grandeur of the Waiting Room, into the health and vibrancy of the city.   The three zones of sky/earth/ underground are more memorably interpreted as heaven/ purgatory/hell.  

Perhaps Piranesi's most famous urban image is that of the Piazza del Popolo- a spacious piazza welcoming pilgrims and visitors to the "Citta Sancta"- the nexus of the Catholic Church.  An ancient obelisk defines the spot and twin churches segment the three main avenues that pull one deeply into the Christian city.

The grand open space at 30th and Market Sts- between the old Post Office and 30th Street Station- does none of that.  The sense of destination is insipid.  Center city's skyline beckons across the river, but the Schuykill is so deeply entrenched between its embankments that nothing watery is seen.  In this drawing, the Christopher Columbus obelisk at Penn's Landing has been moved here- a far more compelling location and a deserved monument to a man who pioneered distant travel.  Center city beckons one forward or, in reverse, a distinctive and noble marker to West Philadelphia and University City.   

Cairibbean Airboats is a seaplane company that flies shuttles between Puerto Rico and several islands of the Virgin Islands, both US and British. There is no need for a runway, so the proposal sits right on the town waterfront. The style of the terminal (designed to welcome visitors to the island) matched the architectural vocabulary of the history, Dutch-founded town.

In addition to the site planning and the architectural design, I was also asked to develop a branding logo for the airline- the Bird of Paradise image was designed for the tail of the planes, the complany stationary and even the air host/hostess uniforms.