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32-413: The biggest train sheds were often built as an arch of glass and iron, while the smaller were built as normal pitched roofs. The train shed with the biggest single span ever built was that at the second Philadelphia Broad Street Station , built in 1891. The earliest train sheds were wooden structures, often with unglazed openings to allow smoke and steam to escape. The oldest part of Bristol Temple Meads

64-487: A nine-block viaduct constructed. Broad Street Station was dramatically expanded by renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness in 1892–93. Wilson Brothers designed a new train shed (1892) that was constructed high over the existing sheds, which were subsequently demolished. The new shed had the largest single span of any station roof in the world – 306 ft (91 m). In 1894 the PRR moved its headquarters from Fourth Street to

96-482: A similar structure originally constructed by the Wilson Brothers & Company a mere decade before. Furness's windows were often rounded and did not use pointed chancels. The lower levels of the structure were heavy and rusticated, recalling the work of H. H. Richardson from the previous decade, while the spandrels of the upper stories emphasized the building's verticality. The frame for the stone structure

128-547: A similar structure that remained for the last ten years of the station's existence. In the 1920s and 1930s the Pennsylvania Railroad built two new stations: 30th Street Station , which is now the main intercity hub for Philadelphia rail travel, and Suburban Station , which is now the main community regional rail hub for Philadelphia. Originally a PRR stub line from 30th Street Station to a tunnel ending northwest of City Hall, just north of Broad Street Station, it

160-737: Is a particularly fine – and large – example, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with mock- hammerbeam roof . Surviving examples include: The middle of the nineteenth century saw many large stations covered by iron, steel and glass train sheds, inspired by The Crystal Palace at The Great Exhibition in 1851. The best have been described as "like cathedrals " and feature curved roofs; other structures have pitched roofs. Surviving examples of curved roof train sheds include: Surviving examples of pitched roof train sheds include: Surviving examples of Bush-type, developed by American civil engineer Lincoln Bush , and related train sheds include: Surviving examples of other train sheds include: The middle of

192-483: Is the heart of Philadelphia 's central business district . It takes its name from the nearly five million square foot office and retail complex it contains. It lies between 15th and 19th Streets, and between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Market Street . It is credited with bringing Philadelphia into the era of modern office buildings. In 1881, the Pennsylvania Railroad brought passenger service into

224-550: The Pennsylvania Railroad assuming control) in the same year of completion in 1881. It was one of the first steel-framed buildings in the United States to use masonry not as structure, but as a curtain wall , as modern-designed skyscrapers do. Initially, trains arrived via elevated tracks built above Filbert Street. By 1885 the land between the station and the Schuylkill River had been purchased and cleared, and

256-693: The Penn Center name is officially attached to 11 mid- and highrise office buildings. Most of the buildings of the complex are connected to the Suburban Station retail concourse (renovated in 2007) and by extension the Center City Concourse. The buildings share a loading and delivery entrance on Commerce Street which connects to all the buildings underground. Although not part of Penn Center, the Comcast Center connects to

288-556: The Philadelphia City Planning Commission, came up with a master plan for a four-block area to be cleared. Bacon named the new site Penn Center with the hopes that it would become a business center and model for future development. His plan for the redevelopment of the site included three large office towers, a pedestrian mall, and an underground concourse where retail and business was to be located. He picked architect Vincent Kling to design most of

320-625: The Philadelphia-New York " Clockers ", and steam-powered trains of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines ) for nearly two more decades. Broad Street Station was not completely vacated until 1952, during the term of Mayor Joseph S. Clark . Plans for the demolition of the Chinese Wall and accompanying train station were finalized and both were razed in 1953. Ed Bacon , executive director of

352-414: The above ground promenade, and failing to account for actual human usage of the space. Throughout the mid-to-late 20th century, the city's office sector began to move west into the Penn Center area, thanks to planning efforts. As the office-working population became more suburbanized , convenient access to Suburban Station began to take precedence to city planners over local city transit access. Today,

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384-636: The building is a historic marker on 15th Street commemorating the site. A bas-relief mural by Karl Bitter , The Spirit of Transportation , located in the northwest corner of the main waiting area at 30th Street Station, was originally located in Broad Street Station. 39°57′11″N 75°09′57″W  /  39.9530°N 75.1658°W  / 39.9530; -75.1658 Chinese Wall (Philadelphia) 39°57′13.44″N 75°10′9.80″W  /  39.9537333°N 75.1693889°W  / 39.9537333; -75.1693889 Penn Center

416-449: The buildings over Louis Kahn , another possible contender. The Pennsylvania Railroad wanted to sell the land off in smaller lots for piecemeal development, but Mayor Clark used his political clout to see that Bacon's plan was realized. The plan was implemented with public support, but it would come into criticism later from urban planners, and notable journalist Jane Jacobs for placing vibrant urban activity underground leaving no use for

448-508: The center of the city, and constructed the first Broad Street Station just west of City Hall . The sea of iron pillars holding up the PRR's elevated trackbed was replaced in the 1890s by a 10-block stone viaduct to the Schuylkill River . This created a block-wide barrier known as The Chinese Wall , cutting the western portion of the city in half and discouraging development there. At the time, most commercial activity in Center City

480-487: The city without time-consuming back-up moves. The other major problem was that it took a number of engine moves to turn around commuter trains, which had become the station's main business because of its proximity to the downtown area. The first problem would remain unsolved despite a proposal for a tunnel in North Philadelphia that was to run to the Broad Street Station area and then emerge above ground to meet

512-453: The heart of the city with the smoke and noise of the day's steam locomotives. The Chinese Wall also made Center City north of the station unfashionable, as the area was cut off from the rest of downtown. Passengers arriving at Broad Street Station could make connections to the rest of the city on the numerous trolley lines on Market Street and 15th Street, or on Philadelphia's east–west Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated Line (beginning in 1907) or

544-591: The latter being the first segment of electrification of today's Northeast Corridor, which was completed to Penn Station, New York, in 1933. The train shed was destroyed by a fire on June 11, 1923. The fire began about 1:00 a.m. and burned for two days. Work on clearing the debris began even while the fire was still smoldering. The steel skeleton that remained was removed; thereafter, the train platforms operated while covered by small, "umbrella" shelters. These replacements were destroyed by another fire that began at 9:38 a.m. on September 12, 1943, and were replaced by

576-595: The lines coming out of the station. The other problem began to be alleviated with electrification of the rail lines, starting with the Paoli service to the railroad's "Main Line", starting on September 11, 1915. In 1918 service to Chestnut Hill (today's Chestnut Hill West) was opened, and the two busiest commuter services were dealt with. In 1928 two more lines, West Chester/Media and Chester/Wilmington, would go under wire, and in 1930 Norristown and Trenton would be electrified,

608-493: The main hall (or Grand Canyon Concourse) of the Contemporary Resort . In North America , tram cars are called streetcars or trolleys and are sometimes stored in structures that are called car barns or car houses. These buildings are usually enclosed and provide cover for trams from the elements. List of car barns: Broad Street Station (Philadelphia) Broad Street Station at Broad & Market streets

640-475: The north–south Broad Street Subway starting in 1928. The latter two were heavy rail lines that crossed under City Hall. Leaving Broad Street Station, passengers would first arrive at West Philadelphia Station at 32nd and Market Streets on the west side of the Schuylkill, which in 1933 was replaced by 30th Street Station . The lines then split in three directions: Today all these railroad lines, except for

672-408: The office building above the station. In the 1930s PRR headquarters moved to the newly built Suburban Station Building at 1600 Filbert Street (now John F. Kennedy Boulevard ). The train shed suffered a massive 1923 fire, and was demolished. The station itself was demolished in 1953, a year after train service to it had ceased. Broad Street Station dominated the center of the city. Trains would leave

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704-421: The one between 30th Street Station and Broad Street stations, remain intact, run by SEPTA or NJ Transit . The architecture of Broad Street Station was typical of Furness's buildings in central Philadelphia in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Furness's structure looked much like a web of Gothic spires and arched windows, with considerable modification from their medieval sources. His work expanded on

736-545: The same red brick, stone and terra cotta as the station, that connected to it through a pedestrian bridge over Market Street. This relieved much of the pedestrian traffic at street level, and the City permitted the Arcade Building to be built over the 15th Street sidewalk. Even in its early years, there were flaws in the operation of Broad Street Station. The station could not accommodate passenger trains passing through

768-484: The station and was operationally burdened by its stub-end nature, would move its operations to the newly constructed 30th Street Station and Suburban Station . Those stations were completed and in operation by 1933, but a number of factors, including the Great Depression which stalled the planned redevelopment, forced the railroad to continue utilizing Broad Street Station for certain types of trains (such as

800-415: The station expanded after 1881, additional train sheds were added to cover additional tracks, twelve in all by 1891. They were eventually replaced by a single shed, which, upon its completion in 1892, had the largest single span of any station roof in the world (91 m - 298 feet), and ultimately covered 16 tracks. PRR later hired Furness, Evans & Company to design the Arcade Building, an office building of

832-440: The station two stories above street level on a viaduct known as the " Chinese Wall " and run west to cross the Schuylkill River on tracks that bisected the western half of Center City Philadelphia. Fifteenth Street ran beneath the station's lobby, and the numbered streets up to 24th ran beneath the viaduct. John F. Kennedy Boulevard traces a similar path today. The station was renowned for its architecture but cursed for inundating

864-508: The twentieth century saw concrete used as a structural material. Surviving examples include: After many years with few, if any, significant new train sheds, recent years have seen some major stations given graceful train sheds by using modern technology. Examples include: In the United States, the Walt Disney World Monorail System has some trainsheds along its route, including the entrance-gate station and

896-399: Was closed in 1952 and razed in 1953. The last departure of a scheduled train was train 431 to Washington at 0110 on 27 April 1952; the last train was the farewell special that evening. The land once occupied by the station and its access tracks is now the commercial heart of the city, known as Penn Center , including buildings such as the 54-story Mellon Bank Center . Today all that remains of

928-481: Was east of Broad Street , which is why the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line has no stops between 30th Street Station and 15th Street . The stations at 19th Street and 22nd Street are served by SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines . In 1925, the Pennsylvania Railroad announced its intention to leave Broad Street Station, freeing the land for redevelopment. The railroad, which had both outgrown

960-616: Was extended east as part of the Center City Commuter Connection tunnel tying the PRR rail network with the Reading Railroad . In July 1947 Broad St scheduled 55 weekday departures: 9 to the south, 8 that would head west from Zoo, and 38 that would turn east from Zoo (14 of which would cross the Delair bridge). Broad Street ultimately suffered the fate of many of Furness's institutional buildings, as it

992-548: Was largely made of iron and steel, and on the interior the structural techniques were often displayed by balustrades and columns that in places revealed the rivets that held them together. The formal style of the building was altogether not unlike that of Furness's building for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts , which he completed in 1876, or his University of Pennsylvania Library , designed in 1888. As

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1024-675: Was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in Philadelphia from early December 1881 to the 1950s. Located directly west of Philadelphia City Hall , the site is now occupied by the northwest section of Dilworth Park and the office towers of Penn Center . The original station was designed by Wilson Brothers & Company under authority of the old Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (established 1836 from merger of four smaller segment lines dating to 1831, running southwest to Baltimore and its President Street Station which had just been purchased by

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