Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company
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Chester Waterside Station, 1998
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2501 Seaport Dr., Chester, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 11.9 acres (4.8 ha) |
| Built | 1916 |
| Architect | Windrim, John T.; Eglin, William C.L. |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts, Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000467 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 2007 |
The Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company is an old power plant. It used to burn coal to make electricity. You can find it right by the Delaware River in Chester, Delaware County, in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Electric Company built this station. Today, it is still owned by PECO Energy Company, which is part of a bigger company called Exelon. The whole building has been changed and is now used as an office building.
What Does It Look Like?
The main part of the Chester Waterside Station was built in 1916. It included a Boiler House, where coal was burned. There were also tall Coal Towers to store the coal. Inside, the Turbine Hall held big machines that made electricity. A Switch House helped control the power.
Architect John T. Windrim and engineer William C.L. Eglin designed the building. They used the newest ideas for power plants at that time. The outside of the building looks very grand. It was designed in a style called Beaux-Arts. This style often uses fancy details and looks like old Roman or Greek buildings.
Later, between 1939 and 1942, more parts were added to the Turbine Hall.
There is also a separate, two-story building on the property. It is made of red brick and was the Machine Shop. The Philadelphia Electric Company built this one too.
A Look Back in Time
The Chester Waterside Station is an important historical site. In 2007, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes buildings and places that are special to American history.
Experts from the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) studied the station. They took many photos inside and out in 1997 and 1998. Famous photographer Jack Boucher took these pictures. They also made detailed drawings and wrote a report about the building's design and history.
In 2016, the old Machine Shop building got a new life. It was turned into a large indoor training center. This center is now used by the Philadelphia Union, a professional Major League Soccer team. They use it for training and offices.
Images for kids
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The machine shop of the Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company
