Description:

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. Since the site was constructed over a 126-year period, roofing details differ throughout the 11-acre site.