January Eastern State Penitentiary closes. Most inmates are sent to the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. While the Penitentiary's electrical and mechancial systems are in terrible shape, its walls and paint are in perfect condition. Eastern State is all but totally abandoned. Philadelphia Streets Department uses grounds for storage.
Vandals smash skylights and windows.
An urban forest grows in the halls and cells. Dan McCloud, the last city caretaker, continues to feed a family of stray cats on the property. 1974 Mayor Frank Rizzo suggests demolishing Eastern State to construct a criminal justice center. The city transfers Eastern State Penitentiary to the Redevelopment Authority to seek proposals for commercial use. 1988 Eastern State Task Force, a group of architects, preservationists and historians, is formed.