EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY - ROOFING CELLBLOCKS 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12

CLIENT
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. 

LOCATION
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

STRUCTURE
Opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," the massive stone structure became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in America.  More than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's radial or “wagon-wheel” floor plan.

CHALLENGE
Roofing is a major source of overall failures throughout the site.  Re-roofing, either temporary or permanent, has become a primary objective in order to minimize the continual damage inflicted by water infiltration.  While the site was constructed over a 126-year period, roofing details differ throughout. The re-roofing project for 2009 includes almost half of the eleven acre site!

SCOPE OF SERVICE
  • Prepare construction estimates for potential re-roofing costs of all roofs throughout the site.
  • Evaluate the roofing needs and budgetary constraints with the client in order to prioritize the work.
  • Assist in finalizing proposed work with the City of Philadelphia and other funding sources.
SOLUTION
  • Provide construction documents for the re-roofing campaign of the Bertillion and of Cellblocks 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 12.
  • Prepare documents with eight “add alternates” so the client could match the bids on potential work with available funding.
  • Prepare for construction administration services for the project, commencing in the spring of 2009. 
HISTORIC STATUS
Eastern State Penitentiary is a National Historic Landmark and is under consideration for a World Heritage Site nomination.