30th Street Station

When then 1881 Broad Street Station - a train shed terminal in the center of Philadelphia - became too small to cope with the growing number of passengers, the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to construct a new, larger station out of the city center.

In 1925, an agreement with the city gave the Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel rights from 15th street to the Schuykill River while the city in return was given land needed for the construction of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The Pennsylvania Railroad built two stations: Suburban Station at the city center and 30th Street Station on the west side of the Schuykill river. Both were designed by the Chicago firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the successor firm to D.H. Burnham & Co.

The 30th Street Station was built from 1929 to 1934, during the Great Depression. The overall building is 327ft wide and 637ft long (100 x 194m).
The main concourse is enormous: it measures 135ft by 290ft (41 x 88m) and has a 95ft (29m) high coffered ceiling with beautiful art-deco chandeliers. The building's neo-classical exterior is dominated by monumental columns. Although clearly neo-classical, the exterior hints to a more modern style, which is even more evident in the station's interior.

When the station opened in 1934, it featured over 3,000 sq. ft (279 sq. m) of hospital space, a chapel, a mortuary and a landing space for small aircraft on the reinforced roof.