This station replaced the 1876 32nd & Market Street Stations to be closer to downtown, and it was replaced by the West Philadelphia Station and then 30th Street Station for through trains and the Suburban Station for commuter trains. Because of the depression and WWII, this station was not removed until 1953.
While studying the Reading Station, I noticed on the topo map copied below that there was a station on the north half of the west side of the city square. This must be that one.
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| Remember When: Pennsylvania posted Market Street’s role as a transportation artery was cemented by the construction of the massive Gothic Revival Broad Street Station in 1881. (PhillyHistory.org) Ed Johnson shared |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted Original Broad Street Station, Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia. - Source: Print and Picture Collection. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/item/44956 Robert Daniels shared James McKee Ridgway Jr.: Flagship Station and Corporate HQ in Philadelphia… |
The above photos were the original 1881 depot. The 1893 expanded version had even more gothic doodads on it.
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| HistoricalPix "Broad Street Station in Philadelphia, originally designed by Wilson Brothers & Company in 1881, was a pioneering steel-framed building with masonry curtain walls. It underwent significant expansion by architect Frank Furness in 1892-93, including a new train shed with the world's largest single-span roof. The station served as the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad until the 1930s when it was relocated. Unfortunately, the train shed was destroyed by fire in 1923, and the station was demolished in 1953." |
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| Historic Philadelphia USA posted Old Broad Street Railroad Station, Philadelphia, (1935) In 1935, the Old Broad Street Railroad Station stands as a testament to Philadelphia’s rich railroading history. The station, with its grand arched windows and intricate architectural detailing, reflects the significance of rail travel in an era when trains were the primary mode of intercity transportation. By this time, the station has become a Philadelphia landmark, recognized for its role in connecting the city to other major urban centers along the East Coast. The platform areas are busy with travelers and railway workers, and the sound of arriving and departing trains fills the air. This building is more than just a station; it represents the golden age of rail travel and the movement of people, goods, and ideas across the country. |
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| 1949 Philadelphia Quad @ 24,000 via Dennis DeBruler |
A different exposure and cropping of the above photo used by HistoricalPix.
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| LC-D4-500683 [P&P] |
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| Ed Johnson posted Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia |
A better exposure:
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted City Hall & The Pennsylvania Railroad Broad Street Station, looking West. No year was given. It has to be before 1953 because that's when Broad Street Station was demolished. Thomas W. Dinsmore: Before 1923. The train shed shown in the picture burned on June 11, 1923. The PRR subsequently demolished the shed and replaced it with platform canopies. John L Garcia shared John Garcia shared |
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| Alex Mary posted This is what the west side of Philadelphia looked like from the top of City Hall's tower in 1900. Jim Kelling shared Philadelphia Broad Street Station with Trainshed (right) |
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| 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted Broad Street Station • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania RR • 1906! Sam Wong: What street is that? Richard Ginsberg: Sam Wong Pennsylvania Ave, which became JFK Blvd. John L Garcia shared John L Garcia shared |
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| explorepahistory, Courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Archives "Constructed in 1881, Philadelphia's Broad Street Station was the Pennsylvania Railroad's corporate headquarters as well as its largest station." |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted Title: Broad Street Station Train Shed Additional Title: Pennsylvania Railroad Shed Historic Street Address: 15th & Market Streets. Creation year circa 1900. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/item/44970 Raymond Storey posted PRR PHILLY |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted Broad Street Station from Switch Tower, Philadelphia.Postcard showing the tracks and train shed of the Broad Street Station, with City Hall Tower in the distance. Image source: Free Library of Philadelphia. John L Garcia shared |
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| Gerry Meyle Sr. posted Undated company photo of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broad Street Station, Philadelphia, Pa. Glenn Brown shared Carl Byron: Before 1915 because that year--I think--the first overhead catenary was installed for electric MU commuter service. Ed Johnson shared |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted Interior of Train Shed at Broad Street Station. Halftone reproduction of photograph showing the interior of the train shed looking east toward the headhouse at Broad and Market Streets. The train shed was designed by Wilson Brothers Company, and constructed in 1892. It had the largest single span of any station roof in the world - 304 feet. It was 591 feet long and 112 feet high. On June 11th, 1923 the train shed was destroyed by fire, and again in 1943. The station and its long elevated stone track bed (the "Chinese Wall") remained until 1953. This photo was taken in 1903. Ed Johnson shared |
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| Walter Plotnick posted Broad St. Station after fire, 1923 glass covered train shed was the largest of its kind at that time. Stephen Thomas shared John L Garcia shared |
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| Bob Ellis commented on Walter's post One for you |
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| Chalie Bondiskey Sr. commented on Walter's post GG1's at Broad Street Station and in my train room. |
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| Bob Ellis commented on Chalie's comment |
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| Historic Philly posted Looking west from City Hall Tower (1950s) Robert Daniels shared |
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| RealClearHistory "One of the largest and busiest trains stations in the country, Broad Street Station was also headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which was one of the world's largest corporations, with more than 200,000 employees. In the 1870s, the PRR's primary depot in Philadelphia was at 32nd and Market Streets, but it wanted a venue closer to the center of the city....In 1910, there were 578 arrivals and departures daily, more than one-tenth of all the PRR's trains." The expansion increased the station from four tracks to sixteen tracks and a train shed that was 306' (93m) wide, 591' (180m) long and up to 100' (30m) tall. The train shed of the nearby Reading Depot was 300' (91m) wide, thus the additional 6' (1.8m) to be larger. [Actually, the expansion was from 8 to 16 tracks because there had been two 4-track train sheds. [HiddenCityPhila]] |
This appears to be a collorization of the above photo.
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| ebay |
And a different colorization.
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| ebay |
Before expansion:
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| PhillyHistory, 1882 |
After expansion:
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| PhillyHistory, 1896 |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted Aerial view of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broad Street Station and Trainshed in Philadelphia - 1940. James McKee Ridgway Jr.: Trainshed was torn down in 1923. Individual platform shelters replaced it… Old Images of Philadelphia: James McKee Ridgway Jr. You know it caught fire in 1923 and 1943 too? Ed Johnson shared History's Mirror posted [The description sounds like AI generated platitudes and mistakes.] |
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| PhillyHistory via HiddenCityPhila The elevated viaduct between the Schuylkill River and the station had just the arch openings needed for the numbered streets that went under it. This viaduct became known as the "Chinese Wall," and it was an impediment to the economic development of the west side of downtown Philadelphia. |
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| Old Images of Philadelphia posted 16th and Market Streets - The Pennsylvania Railroad Viaduct (Chinese Wall). March 23rd, 1912. - Image source: Philadelphia City Archives. |
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| Historic Philadelphia posted Broad Street Station Construction, Philadelphia (1891) In 1891, the construction of Broad Street Station was well underway, bringing one of Philadelphia’s most ambitious railway projects to life. Designed to serve as the primary hub for the Pennsylvania Railroad, the station's grand arched facade and soaring clock tower began to take shape. The massive steel train shed, one of the largest in the world at the time, loomed over the tracks, promising a new era of efficient rail travel. Workers in flat caps and overalls labored over the iron framework, while horse-drawn wagons transported bricks and timber to the site. Once completed, the station would become a key gateway to Philadelphia, solidifying the city's role as a national transportation hub. Paul Scarbrough: The tower in the background is actually City Hall, in the final stages of completion, some 20 years after the building first started construction. Broad Street Station did have a clock, and it was in a diminutive tower of sorts on the original façade of the Wilson Brothers part of the station from 1881. James McKee Ridgway Jr.: Great as a stub end destination station, but lousy as a hub. Never adequately served all the trains passing through Philadelphia… Robert Daniels shared |
"The PRR shed was destroyed in a fire in 1923; it was one of the biggest fires the city had seen, but no lives were lost and service was restored nine days later." [RealClearHistory]
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| Library Company of Philadelphia "The Broad Street Station fire, started Monday, June 11, 1923 by a short circuited cable, was at the time considered one of the worst fires in the city's history with an estimated $1,500,000 worth of damage. By the second day, despite the fire continuing to burn in areas, 2000 laborers began to clear debris and set up umbrella shelters to prepare for the station's reopening at the end of that week." |
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| Sissy Mcsis E. McCarthy posted Location the Broad Street terminal (Pennsylvania railroad the demolition) 1952 John L Garcia shared Jonathan Dandridge: 30th Street Station made a lot more sense for PRR as most trains were through trains and could pass right through 30 th St whereas Broad St. was a stub end terminal so trains continuing to Washington had to back out or change ends. |
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| Old Images of Pennsylvania posted Demolition of Broad Street Station Philadelphia (1952) Ed Johnson shared Historic Philadelphia posted [The description sounds like AI prattle.] Robert Daniesl shared Keith Nonnemacher: The place caught on fire and needed to be torn down and PRR Suburban Station replaced it and I have been inside Suburban Station loved it all Art Deco outside and shops and restaurants inside. I lived in Philadelphia for 6 years mostly Kensington then north of Oxford Circle Cottman Ave |
A different exposure
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| Historic Philadelphia posted Demolition of Broad Street Station (1952) The demolition of Broad Street Station in 1952 marked the end of an era for one of Philadelphia’s most historic train stations. Once a grand symbol of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Victorian-style station had served as the city’s primary rail hub for decades, welcoming thousands of passengers daily. By the mid-20th century, however, changes in transportation and urban planning led to its closure and eventual demolition. As wrecking crews tore down the massive train shed and intricate facade, Philadelphians watched with nostalgia, knowing they were losing an architectural landmark. The removal of Broad Street Station paved the way for the construction of Penn Center and the eventual rise of modern office buildings along what became John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Though no longer standing, its legacy as a vital transportation hub lives on in the city’s history. Robert Daniels shared |
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| Jom J. Cassidy commented on the above post John Bennett: Tom J. Cassidy I love this photo as it really gives perspective. You can see what is now John F Kennedy blvd. I lived at The Sterling at 1815 JFK blvd awhile back. |
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| Jom J. Cassidy commented on the above post |
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| James McKee Ridgway Jr. posted Very seldom photographed connecting track from Broad Street Station to new Suburban Line (upper level 30th Street)… |
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| HAER_gallery via HAER |
For further reading:
- An extensive history of this depot
- A history that emphasises the architect of the 1893 expansion, Frank Furness This has some photos that I have not seen in the other sources.
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