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Description

Just east of Fishtown, a 500,000 square foot industrial monument overlooks the Delaware River. Delaware Central Station, completed in 1923, was designed to look like a Roman temple—complete with classical columns, ornate entablature, and Beaux-Arts grandeur. But why would an electric power plant need to be beautiful?

In this episode, we explore how Philadelphia Electric Company used architecture as public relations during an era when electricity was new, invisible, and terrifying. We'll trace the building's journey from the Progressive Era through decades of abandonment to its recent rebirth as The Battery—a story of industrial decline, historic preservation, and the question facing every American city: what do we do with our industrial past?

Sound credits:

barge anchors on river 1215 PM 240729_0855 by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/768962/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Street_Car.wav by dggrunzweig -- https://freesound.org/s/341569/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Jingle bells.wav by juskiddink -- https://freesound.org/s/110158/ -- License: Attribution 4.0