Pennsylvania Railroad Suburban Station - Philadelphia, PA
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Pennsylvania Railroad Suburban Station - Philadelphia, PA
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Pennsylvania Railroad Suburban Station located in the Penn Center District of downtown Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the city's premier examples of Art Deco architecture. It is now a Septa regional commuter rail train terminal but thankfully, they have kept the amazing historic Art Deco facade.
During the 1920s, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company was experiencing its highest levels of freight and passenger traffic. In 1923, the Railroad's Board initiated a project to construct a central passenger station on the west side of the Schuylkill River and an underground station in the city center.
The plan was to erect a sizable office tower that would accommodate the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's executive offices and additional commercial office spaces to be located above the new downtown commuter station. The company hired the renowned Chicago architectural firm Anderson, Probst & White, known for designing public buildings and large commercial projects and who had already designed several impressive buildings for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
Standing twenty-one-stories tall and taking up an entire city block, the office building officially opened in 1930, one year into the Great Depression. The building stood alone when completed, and its size, decoration, and purpose made it a recognizable landmark.
Modern high-rise towers now surround Suburban Station Building. However, it still stands as a historic railway station that serves as a reminder of Philadelphia's early twentieth-century downtown business district. The structure stands independently above a section of Penn Center Station located underground, which is still operated for passengers today.
Copyright 2023 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
June 15th, 2023
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