Then and Now: Corner of 32nd and Market Streets looking northeast, Philadelphia

1930-2010

At the time of the Second World War, the Market-Frankford Line was fully elevated through West Philadelphia, emerging from the subway tunnel at 22nd and Market Streets. The original photograph shows part of the original "El" station at 32nd Street, completed in 1908. Barely visible in the background of the original photo is the Pennsylvania Railroad's West Philadelphia Station, which at the time was the city's main railroad station west of the Schuylkill River. West Philadelphia Station was demolished after the opening of 30th Street Station in 1933.

During the war, the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Transit Company (PTC) initiated a major project to extend the Market Street subway tunnel from 22nd Street past 40th Street. Furthermore, the PTC's West Philadelphia trolley lines would be rerouted into a subway tunnel below Woodland Avenue, joining the Market Street Subway tunnel at 32nd Street. Due to the relocation of the Pennsylvania Railroad station to 30th Street, the new Market-Frankford Line stations were built at 30th and 34th Streets, neither of which were previously station stops. The transit tunnels opened in 1955, and the obsolete elevated rails and stations were removed the following year.

About a decade ago, Drexel University annexed the block of 32nd Street between Market and Chestnut Streets, and has since developed it into a landscaped pedestrian walkway.

Market-Frankford Line [nycsubway]

Source: Darlington, Peggy, Gregory Jordan-Detamore, and David Pirmann. "Market-Frankford El." world.nycsubway.org. 12 May 2010. http://world.nycsubway.org/us/phila/market-frankford.html.
Original photo: Quinn. "Department of City Transit-20601-0." 1930. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 12 May 2010. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=19505.

Construction update: Drexel Recreation Center

There's been such a general dearth of new construction here in the past few months that I'd even lost track of the handful of mid-sized projects nearing completion. The opening of Drexel's new Recreation Center back in February flew right under the radar, but I managed to finally get a look at the completed product over the weekend.

The Recreation Center as viewed from 33rd and Market

Designed by Sasaki Associates with engineering work by EwingCole and Pennoni, the 84,000 square foot building occupies an entire block of Market Street between 33rd and 34th Streets, wrapping around the existing Daskalakis Athletics Center and replacing what was previously a perimeter of inactive and unused open space.

As far as university campus additions go, the Recreation Center was highly anticipated. For Drexel planners, it provided another essential step toward shedding the university's reputation as a hotspot of orange brick and mediocre modernism. The wise decision to wrap the new building around the Daskalakis Athletics Center was not only cost effective for Drexel, but also provided a rare opportunity to breathe new life into a particularly quiet stretch of Market Street. To that end, the ground floor of the building also houses a newly opened restaurant and bar occupying half of the building's Market Street frontage, providing another amenity for the campus and nearby area.

Landmark Americana Tap & Grill

Personally, I find the the window patterning of the upper stories to be visually interesting. Nonetheless, the building's ground floor presence leaves a lot to be desired. The non-restaurant half of the Market Street frontage hides a large lounge space behind a very opaque band of windows. Contrary to the project's intentions and expectations, the pedestrian experience along this block is decidedly a bit dull, albeit a definite improvement over previous conditions. Another lesson learned: windows are never as transparent as promised by architectural renderings.

Perhaps such judgments are somewhat premature, given the continued presence of orange construction cones around the site. However, there are a few simple changes that could greatly improve the building's interaction with its neighbors. The presence of the Market Street Subway beneath the roadway probably precludes the planting of street trees. Nonetheless, the sidewalk is virtually crying out for at least some plantings and shade, a need which will only become more evident with the approach of summer. Lastly, I will also suggest that the ground floor facade could be significantly enlivened by some sort of engaging display or signage without compromising the quality of the building's interior spaces.

Recreation Center opening press release [Drexel University]

Quick Construction Update: Daskalakis Athletics Center

Drexel University's forthcoming addition to its Daskalakis Athletics Center is taking shape along the 3301 block of Market Street, and right now things are looking blue. In a weird way, the construction site feels like a temporary art installation; once the blue housewrap gets covered and the fencing goes down, the final product will have very little of its current color. The expansion will greatly improve Drexel's presence on Market Street, and could give the block a well-deserved new shot of life.

Then and Now: Northwest corner of 37th and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia

1952-2009

The original photograph seems to have been taken in anticipation of a period of major changes for West Philadelphia in the vicinity of the ever-expanding University of Pennsylvania. Soon after, Woodland Avenue's trolleys went underground into the expanded subway-surface tunnel. Woodland Avenue was closed to traffic east of 37th Street to become the University's Woodland Walk.

The shops on the northwest corner of 37th and Spruce made way for Vance Hall of the Wharton School, designed by Bower & Fradley and completed in 1972. Like many otherwise well-designed institutional buildings of the time, it projects an unfortunately cold presence to the sidewalk.

Source: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
Original photo: Cuneo. "Department of City Transit-29597-0." 1952. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 23 Aug. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=50677

Then and Now: Philadelphia main post office, 30th and Market Street, Philadelphia

1950-2009

Alongside 30th Street Station just across Market Street, Philadelphia's former main post office is one of the city's most imposing civic buildings. Its architects, Rankin & Kellogg, were also responsible for many of the city's most iconic early 20th century buildings, including the Architects' Building, the Inquirer Building. and the Provident Trust Company tower. The structure was also a substantial engineering feat, built on a platform above 30th Street Station's railroad tracks in 1935.

Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of seeing its grand interior before the post office closed several years ago, and presumably never will. The building is currently being renovated for the Internal Revenue Service's new Philadelphia office, as part of the University of Pennsylvania and Brandywine Realty Trust's Cira Centre South project. The former 30th Street loading docks slightly visible in the photo are set to be converted to an outdoor terrace for IRS workers. The Bolt Buses will probably have to load somewhere else once that happens.

Cira Centre South [Skyscraperpage]

Original photo: Wenzell J. Hess, "Public Works-41057-0-C." 1950. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=68115

Then and Now: Southeast corner of 36th and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia

1963-2009

Original photo: "Historic Commission-12404-21." 1963. City of Philadelphia Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 19 Jun. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=148293

Then and Now: Northeast corner of 40th and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia

1963-2009

The 3900 block of Walnut Street has seen its fortunes rise and fall. The duplex at 3931-3933 Walnut Street that still stands today in somewhat shabby condition was completed in 1887, the work of William H. Decker, whose works included several grand estates and institutional buildings in the then-booming West and North Philadelphia streetcar suburbs. The 20th century brought with it both growth and neglect. The corner building at 3939 Walnut St. first grew a storefront addition as 40th Street became a local commercial corridor, and was then demolished around 1963 when the old photo was taken by the Historical Commission. While the University of Pennsylvania devoured the other side of the street, the other pictured town homes soon made way for a 1-story shopping center, which was itself replaced in late 2008 by the massive Radian apartment complex.

These three buildings tell a very rich story. They testify of three distinct eras of the area's history - its 19th century suburban origins; 20th century commercialization and decline; and its 21st century resurgence as a vibrant mixed-use urban neighborhood.

Source: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
Original photo: "Historical Commission-12404-37." 1963. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 15 Jun. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=164337

Then and Now: 3900 block of Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

1959-2009

Original photo: "Law Department-L-8183-0." 1959. Philadelphia City Archives. Phillyhistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 11 Jun. 2009. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=161847

Then and Now: 31st and Market looking west, Philadelphia

1881-2008

Today, the 3100 block of Market Street is occupied entirely by Drexel University, though one building from the original photo still stands. The Frank Furness designed Centennial National Bank at 32nd and Market now houses the University's Paul Peck Alumni Center.

Original Photo: "Public Works-1404-0." 1881. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 18 Dec. 2008. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=103173

Then and Now: The Rush Hospital, 33rd St. and Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia

1931-2008

The Rush Hospital for Consumptives and Allied Diseases, completed in 1909, was designed by the firm of Brockie & Hastings, whose work consists mostly of estates in surburban Philadelphia. The Colonial Revival hospital building was purchased by Drexel University in 1961, and soon afterwards converted to classroom use. Today, the Rush building houses Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology.

As can be seen in today's view, the University is also in the midst of several building projects on or around 33rd and 34th Streets. Visible on the left side of the photo is the blue fencing for the expansion of the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 33rd and Market Street, which will push the building wall up to the sidewalk of Market Street, eliminating dead green space and vastly improving the pedestrian experience around it. Drexel's master plan also includes a new western wing to the Rush building, though whether or not this will materialize as anticipated in the current economic climate remains to be seen.

University Master Plan [Drexel Planning, Design, & Construction]

Sources: Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
"Drexel University - PDC: Rush Building Info." Planning, Design, and Construction Department of Drexel University. 23 Dec. 2008. http://www.drexel.edu/depts/pdc/pages/buildings.asp?BID=10
Original Photo: Hess, Wenzel J. "Public Works-32150-0." 1931. Philadelphia City Archives. PhillyHistory.org. Philadelphia Department of Records. 19 Dec. 2008. http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/MediaStream.ashx?mediaId=31501