The year... 2008. Eastern State Penitentiary, the Bike, Lucky Charm Choppers.

Post & Images by Jack McIntyre, Jack McIntyre Photo.

Some time ago, here in my home town of Philadelphia, I gave my friends a ring at Lucky Charm Choppers about a shoot idea I had. My goal was to roll a bike into the the old prison, invite a model to join us, and make some history since the prison had never allowed this before, and to this day, still does not.

Anyway, we took the bike in, did a really amazing shoot with a beautiful young lady, Charmaine, and part way through our shoot, we had to depart because they were having Paranormal activity, crazy right?

When Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829, spectators from around the world marveled at its grand architecture and radical philosophy.

The experiment, to reform criminals through strict isolation other than daily visits from the warden and guards, soon became a model for prison design worldwide.

Once built, it was the most expensive construction in the United States at the time.

After 142 years in use, Eastern State finally closed its doors as a prison in 1971. It has since been named a National Historic Landmark. CLICK HERE to understand more about this amazing building.

Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells held nearly 85,000 people over its long history, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and “Scarface” Al Capone.

For this shoot, I only used the available light of the prison. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with strobes and all of that, and I had never been there before so I didn’t know what to expect, but as you can see, the backdrop for this shoot was simply amazing. I mentioned Al Capone above, his cell was one of the cells off to the right.

Model: Charmaine. She must have thought I was nuts bringing her into such a place, but she rolled with it. Her look was perfect for the history and environment that we were in. I think this was a shoot that she will always remember.

Below are a few more images to glance at.

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site is located at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, just five blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The penitentiary is currently open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. They are closed on Tuesdays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Tickets are available online and at the door, subject to availability. All of our daytime programming (“The Voices of Eastern State” Audio Tour, Guide-Led Tour and Discussion, Hands-On History experiences, artist installations, and exhibits) is included in one admission price.