WE STILL MOURN THE PENN COACH STEAM PLANT and SCORN OTHERS…
Built in 1929, the Penn Coach Yard Chimney was constructed by the Pennsylvania Rail Road and, on Sunday, November 15, 2009, it was imploded, as it had not been of use to the rail road since it closed in 1964. Apparently, it is sad but true that utility and, unfortuantely, money dictate everything.
The chimney was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was a Drexel University landmark (often called “the Drexel Shaft”), and was part of the Philadelphia skyline since its birth. Not to worry, there is a wonderful video on youtube that shows just how much this landmark meant to the citizens of Philadelphia:
Drexel Shaft Implosion – OFFICIAL VIDEO -
Regardless of the excitement, we are sick to our stomach at the laughter and cheering, as an industrial Art Deco architectural gem was lost to the miserable force of the American unrest and to the wonderful thing we call “progress”. On the more sentimental side, the following video shows just how integral the building was to the greater Philadelphia skyline:
What’s really sad is that if we imploded those who are laughing in the video, there would be even more people laughing in the background. Yes, we are still pissed.
We remember “the shaft” and deplore a truly unnecessary and disgusting day in Philadelphia history.
Wake up Philadelphia, they are slowly, but surely destroying your past; not to mention, what makes Liberty City one of the greatest and most interesting cities in America.
