Then and Now: West side of Penn Square, Philadelphia

1903-2010

For the first half of the 20th century, Broad Street veered off of its linear path at City Hall, snaking around the west side of the public buildings on what could otherwise have been called "West Penn Square." A decade after the original photograph was taken, the four buildings facing Broad Street from the left edge of the photo had been demolished to make way for the Commercial Trust Building (aka Arcade Building), a behemoth structure occupying nearly the entire block bounded by 15th St., Broad St., Market St., and South Penn Square.

The Arcade Building in 1962, photo courtesy of HABS

After the demolition of Broad Street Station in 1953, the Planning Commission envisioned an extension of City Hall's plaza from Broad Street to 15th Street. Two and Three Penn Center, the twin office buildings featured prominently in today's view, were built west of 15th Street. The Arcade Building was not demolished until 1969, paving the way for a concrete plaza and subterranean transit concourse completed in 1977, now known as Dilworth Plaza. If the Center City District has its way, the oft-maligned public space may receive a dramatic makeover in the next few years.

Center City Reports: Transforming Dilworth Plaza [Center City District]

Source: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
Original photographs:
1. "PDCL00160." 1903. Free Library of Philadelphia - Historical Images of Philadelphia. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 10 May 2010. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=166729.
2. Boucher, Jack. "PA-1493-1 - General view, from east." 1962. Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress. 10 May 2010. http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa1000/pa1083/photos/139988pv.jpg.

Then and Now: Northeast corner of 17th and Market Streets, Philadelphia

1912-2009

This is a street level view of what was formerly Broad Street Station's viaduct and massive train shed north of Market Street, now part of Penn Center. Though it definitely lacks activity outside of the workday, it remains a functional downtown district that seamlessly connects with its adjacent neighborhoods. In that respect, Philadelphia fared much better than many other cities which lost their train stations to decidedly very lackluster replacements.

For the most part, the Penn Center area is one massive showroom for the works of Vincent G. Kling & Associates. Though Kling never obtained the same international notoriety and acclaim as fellow Philadelphian architects Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi, no firm proved to be nearly as influential as his own in shaping Philadelphia's modern downtown thanks to a privileged relationship with the city's Planning Commission. Kling was behind Seven Penn Center, pictured in the center, Five Penn Center behind it, as well as the iconic Centre Square complex and the Municipal Services Building.

Original photo: "City Archives-828-0." 1912. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 7 Sep. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=55229

Then and Now: Northwest Center City viewed from City Hall tower, Philadelphia

1915-2009

In Philadelphia's collective memory, Broad Street Station seems to be best remembered not for the station building itself, but for its massive elevated viaduct which ran along toward Filbert Street toward the Schuylkill River, infamously known as the "Chinese Wall." Indeed, the railroad viaduct posed an enormous physical and economic barrier between Logan Square and the fashionable Rittenhouse Square area south of Market Street. Apart from the completion of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Northwest Center City saw relatively little development before 1950s.

After the Pennsylvania Railroad's rerouting of intercity trains to 30th Street Station and commuter rail lines to Suburban Station in the 1930s, Broad Street Station was made nearly obsolete, and its days were numbered. The demolition of the station and its accompanying tracks in 1953 opened a large swath of centrally located, high-value downtown land for redevelopment. In accordance with the city's plans, the corridor was to become a showpiece modern office district of the sort very in vogue among planners at the time. Over 60 years later, the Penn Center/Market West area remains downtown Philadelphia's premier office district.

The area has been so completely transformed that the only major building that survives from the original view is the John T. Windrim-designed Bell Telephone Building at 1613 Arch Street, seen under construction in the original photograph.

Original photo: Rolston, N.M. "Department of City Transit-969-0." 1915. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 6 Sep. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=18309.

Then and Now: Southwest corner of 18th and Arch, Philadelphia

1980-2008

The handsome Philadelphia YWCA building was completed in 1891 across the street from the Arch Street Presbyterian Church. Shortly after the original photo was taken by the Historical Commission, the building was demolished in the summer of 1980. After sitting vacant for nearly 30 years, the site is now the proposed location of the American Commerce Center, a supertall to rise over 1500 feet upon completion. The proposal has thus far been cruising through the approvals process with enthusiastic support from city hall and the Planning Commission. Anything else you could possibly want to know about the project can probably be found on its Skyscraperpage thread.

Photo courtesy of PhillySkyline

Source: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings.
Original Image: "Historic Commission - PAB-20526-4." May 1980. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 23 Nov. 2008. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=9141

Then and Now: 17th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard looking north, Philadelphia

1959-2008

The Sheraton Penn Center hotel (left) was completed in 1957 during the first phase of the development of the Penn Center highrise and office district. The 21-story modernist tower was later rechristened as the Philadelphia Centre Hotel before falling victim to a major hotel industry downturn in the 80s, which ultimately led to its demolition in 1988. Initial redevelopment plans were halted during the recession that shortly followed, and the site remained an empty lot for more than a decade, up until the completion of Liberty Property Trust's 57-story Comcast Center earlier this year.

Old images of Penn Center [Athenaeum of Philadelphia]

Source: Hine, Thomas. "None rise to champion the doomed Centre Hotel." Philadelphia Inquirer. 11 Oct. 1987. Newsbank Access World News. Haverford College Library, Haverford, PA. 29 Nov. 2008.
Original Image: "Department of City Transit-39617-0." 1959. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 23 Nov. 2008. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=59337

Then and Now: 16th and Market looking west

1959-2008

To anyone unfamiliar with Philadelphia's 20th century history the above photo can be pretty misleading. The intense development of the Market West office district over the past 50 years took place during the worst years of the city's overall decline.

Original Image: “Department of City Transit-39750-0.” 1959. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 5 Oct. 2008.
http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=52349