Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal comprises one of America's finest Victorian railroad station complexes, combining an ornate Italianate headhouse designed by Francis Kimball with a massive single-span train shed engineered by Wilson Brothers & Company. Completed in 1893 for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, the complex at 12th and Market Streets remains in active use, though the train shed now houses the celebrated Reading Terminal Market rather than railroad operations. The headhouse's restoration and the market's continued vitality demonstrate how historic railroad architecture can be adapted to serve contemporary urban life while maintaining its original character.[1]
Headhouse
[edit | edit source]Francis Kimball's headhouse presents an elaborate Italianate facade to Market Street, its red brick and terra cotta ornament creating visual richness appropriate to a major transportation gateway. The building's vertical emphasis—towers, gables, and varied rooflines—announces the station's presence and civic importance. The design draws from Italian Renaissance precedents filtered through Victorian interpretation, with ornamental detail that expresses the railroad's prosperity and Philadelphia's significance as a rail hub. The headhouse contained waiting rooms, ticket offices, and the administrative functions that railroad operation required.[2]
The headhouse originally connected directly to the train shed, with passengers moving from street-level facilities up to elevated platforms where trains arrived and departed. This arrangement, common to major stations of the era, separated pedestrian and rail traffic while creating a processional experience from city street to railroad platform. The headhouse's ornate public spaces expressed the railroad's role as gateway to travel and commerce, making departure an occasion of architectural as well as practical significance.[1]
Train Shed
[edit | edit source]Wilson Brothers & Company engineered the train shed that extended behind the headhouse, creating a single-span structure that covered the platform and track area without intermediate columns. This engineering achievement—a clear span of 266 feet—ranked among the largest in the world when completed. The shed's arched roof, supported by massive iron trusses, created a dramatic interior volume that expressed the railroad age's technological ambitions. Natural light flooded through the roof's glass panels, illuminating the platform area below.[2]
The train shed represented state-of-the-art engineering that Philadelphia's engineering firms had pioneered. Wilson Brothers, among the city's most prolific engineering practices, designed numerous industrial and transportation structures that shaped Philadelphia and other American cities. The Reading Terminal shed demonstrated their mastery of large-scale iron construction, skills developed through decades of industrial building. The shed's survival—when similar structures elsewhere have been demolished—makes it an important document of Victorian engineering capability.[1]
Reading Terminal Market
[edit | edit source]The Reading Terminal Market has occupied the ground floor beneath the train shed since 1893, continuing a market tradition on this site that dates to the 1850s. When the railroad constructed its terminal, the company incorporated market space to replace facilities that construction had displaced. The market became one of Philadelphia's premier food destinations, with vendors offering produce, meats, baked goods, and prepared foods in a setting that combines Victorian architecture with contemporary food culture. The market's survival through the railroad's decline demonstrates how adaptive use can preserve historic structures.[2]
The market today draws visitors from throughout the region and beyond, attracted by the combination of architectural setting and culinary offerings. Pennsylvania Dutch vendors maintain traditions established over a century ago, while newer merchants reflect Philadelphia's evolving food culture. The market's success has made it a model for urban market preservation and revitalization, demonstrating that historic food markets can thrive when their authentic character is maintained. The Reading Terminal Market ranks among Philadelphia's most beloved institutions, its popularity ensuring the train shed's continued preservation.[1]
Convention Center Connection
[edit | edit source]The Pennsylvania Convention Center, opened in 1993, incorporated the Reading Terminal train shed into its design, extending modern facilities behind the historic structure. This integration preserved the shed while providing the large, flexible spaces that convention use requires. The shed's dramatic volume serves as the convention center's grand hall, hosting events that benefit from its historic character. This adaptive reuse demonstrates that landmark preservation can serve practical contemporary purposes when approached with imagination and commitment.[2]
The convention center connection brought new visitors to the Reading Terminal Market, strengthening an institution that had struggled during downtown Philadelphia's difficult decades. Convention attendees discovered the market's offerings, spreading its reputation beyond the local community. The symbiotic relationship between market and convention center shows how preservation can generate economic benefits that support continued maintenance of historic structures.[1]