Reading Company Grain Elevator | |
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| Location | 411 N. 20th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°57′40″N 75°10′18″W / 39.96111°N 75.17167°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Reading Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003813[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 10, 1982 |
The Reading Company Grain Elevatior was built as a grain elevator in 1925 by the Reading Railroad in Center City Philadelphia to replace an elevator that had operated on the same spot since the Civil War. The building was abandoned in the 1950s and refitted in the 1970, with the lower floor made into offices, the grain storage areas essentially untouched, and the upper levels made into penthouses.[2]
History edit
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania became major port for the export of foodstuffs, primarily wheat, after 1860. Large amount of foreign demand of grains lasted until the 1920s with high regional demand lasting several decades longer. During this time period much needed grain elevator were constructed in the city. The current grain elevator was a replacement for a wooden one built in the 19th century. The original grain elevator was built by the Philadelphia Grain Elevator Company and bought by the Reading Company in 1902. The current structure was built in 1925 after the original was destroyed in an explosion in 1924.[3][4]
Reading Company railroad tracks used to run along the building's north side which connected the grain elevator to the Delaware River and the Port of Philadelphia. The Reading Company sold the grain elevator in 1945 and continued to be used as a grain elevator until 1970. Serving all of Philadelphia's breweries the owners made a small expansion in 1952 when new grain dryers were installed over the single story train shed.[3][4] In 1970 the lower level of the grain elevator was turned into a disoc and restaurant, but by 1977 the building was abandoned.[4]
In 1977 the building was sold at a sheriff's sale to interior designer Kenneth Parker from Tidewater Grain Co. for US$122,000.[4][5] Parker enjoyed hosting parties and felt the granary would make a great entertainment venue. He spent US$250,000 on converting the top floors into a penthouse and turned the bottom floor into office space for his architectural firm Kenneth Parker Associates.[5] Only minor changes to the exterior, such as the creation of a terrace on the roof, were made during the conversion.[3] A gardening hobbyist, Parker added a lush greenhouse, whirlpool and a goldfish reflecting pool to his penthouse.[6] In 1986 health care products and services company Mediq bought the granary and Kenneth Parker Associates from Kenneth Parker for US1.85 million. Kenneth Parker moved out of the penthouse and in 1988 the penthouse space was also converted to office use.[7] Mediq subsidiaries Tishman Speyer/Mediq and Medifac moved into the building on June 24.[8] In 1995 Mediq's subsidiaries working in the granary formed through a management buyout an independent architectural and planning company called Granary Associates.[9]
In 2007 Granary Associates moved out of the granary into nearby larger space. Granary Associates sold the building to Pearl Properties that same year.[10] Pearl Properties bought the granary as part of a deal to acquire the parking lot space south of the granary building. The parking lot, which runs along Callowhill Street, was valuable space because the lot was opposite two major projects, the Free Library expansion and the new Barnes Museum. Pearl Properties planned a 35-story high-rise on the parking lot but the late-2000s financial crisis doomed the plan.[5]
After three years of not being able to find a tenant for the granary Pearl Properties announced a plan to convert the granary into an apartment building. The plan, designed by architect Brian Phillips, would use the granary as a foundation adding 12 stories above the existing granary. Inside the grain silos would be used for things like water-retention basins, heat exchangers, and a climbing wall. The original plan would have removed the towers on the roof, but because of the building's historical status, a new plan was created that would enclose the towers in a steel truss wrapped in glass.[5] The plan to build on top of the granary was abandoned after the Logan Square Neighborhood Association criticized the building as too tall and the Philadelphia Historical Commission rejected the plan. Pearl Properties started again with a different architect and announced a smaller building plan.[11]
Instead of building on top of the granary a 198 unit apartment building will be built on the site of the parking lot that runs along Callowhill Street. The granary will be completely renovated with 12 apartments being installed in the top of the building. On the street level the 20th Street facade will be opened and restaurant space will be added. The granary's basement will be converted into a parking garage. A pedestrian bridge will cross over Shamokin Street connecting the granary building with the new apartments. Construction is scheduled to begin the first half of 2011 and be finished in fourteen months.[11][12]
Architecture edit
The granary is a reinforce-concrete former grain elevator located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building has a rectangular footprint measuring about 72 feet by 127 feet. The east side of the building faces North 20th Street, the south side faces Shamokin Street, and the north side faces what used to be Reading Company railroad tracks and is now a parking lot.
Reception edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Workshop of the World - Philadelphia
- ^ a b c Webster, Richard J. (February 14, 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Reading Company Grain Elevator" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ a b c d Kostelni, Natalie (June 17, 2010). "Pearl Properties is planning to build on top of Granary". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ a b c d Saffron, Inga (June 18, 2010). "Bad plan for a city landmark". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
- ^ Moore, Jana S. (July 15, 1984). "Philadelphia Architect Turns Granary Into Home". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ "With a View Toward Business After Years As a Showplace". The Philadelphia Inquirer: H01. January 17, 1988.
- ^ Viola, Michael (June 25, 1988). "Urban Recycling For a Former Grain Elevator". The Philadelphia Inquirer: C08.
- ^ "Granary Associates Historical Timeline". 30th Anniversary Issue. Granary Associates. June 2008. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ Kostelni, Natalie (January 31, 2008). "Unique Phila. building, the Granary, is ready for a new tenant". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ a b Saffron, Inga (October 08, 2010). "Philadelphia granary plan harvests a bounty of bland design". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bill No. 110310" (PDF). City of Philadelphia, Chief Clerk's Office. Introduced April 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
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