PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eastern State Penitentiary’s stone walls are getting some much-needed attention.
Twenty-six-year-old Tynerra Brown completed a paid, four-week masonry program at the former prison through its Preservation Trades Center, which provides workforce development opportunities for participants.
Seven students were chosen to participate in the masonry program.
“We recruited a group of seven women, returning citizens and people of color that are trying to get into the construction trades, which is traditionally a more homogenous field,” said Liz Trumbull, Eastern State manager of historic preservation and architectural conservation.
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Brown excelled in the program and has already landed a fellowship with a masonry company.
“I’ll have a mentor and they’ll give me the hands-on help that I need, to give me the work experience I need to get into an apprenticeship, which is my next step I pray I get into,” she said.
Domenick Seymore, 26, said the program taught her more about the field.
“It allowed me to figure out what I really wanted to do and that is pursue a career in masonry and join the union,” she said.
The Preservation Trades Center plans to provide experience in other fields down the road.
“One of the goals is to expand into other trades,” Trumbull added. “So this is the masonry academy. In the future, we are hoping to break into metal bending and breaking into carpentry and continue to develop hands-on skills while preserving this historic landmark.”