Editing Penn Center (section)

== The Chinese Wall ==

The "Chinese Wall" referred to the elevated railway viaduct that carried Pennsylvania Railroad trains from 30th Street Station to Broad Street Station, bisecting Center City along a path that roughly followed Market Street. This structure, originally built in the 1880s, created a barrier that divided the city while supporting the massive train shed of Broad Street Station. The station itself, designed by Wilson Brothers and completed in 1881, featured one of the largest single-span train sheds ever constructed. By the mid-twentieth century, however, the elevated tracks and aging station were increasingly seen as obstacles to Center City's development and modernization.<ref name="webster">{{cite book |last=Webster |first=Richard |title=Philadelphia Preserved: Catalog of the Historic American Buildings Survey |year=1976 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The removal of the Chinese Wall and Broad Street Station required rerouting rail service through the underground Center City commuter rail tunnel, which connected 30th Street Station to a new underground Suburban Station and eventually to Market East. This infrastructure investment, combined with the Pennsylvania Railroad's willingness to sell its Center City land, made the Penn Center development possible. The demolition of the historic station and train shed proceeded despite preservationist opposition, establishing precedents that would inform later battles over historic buildings.<ref name="gallery"/>