We are excited to announce a special program for our November meeting: a discussion of the 30th Street Station redevelopment! Gail Barman (Amtrak) and Jennie Gwin (Beyer Blinder Belle Architects) will discuss their ongoing work at this iconic Philadelphia building.

"Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station is one of Pennsylvania’s busiest intermodal stations serving Amtrak, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and New Jersey Transit. Combined, the three agencies see more than 12 million passengers annually, and this number will rise in the coming years as demand for passenger rail continues to grow. Add to that the increasing numbers of commercial and residential developments in the area by Drexel University, Brandywine Realty Trust, University of Pennsylvania, and others. Thus a collaborative master-planning process for the 30th Street Station District was completed in 2016. Amtrak, Brandywine Realty Trust, Drexel, and SEPTA have begun the first phase of implementation. The first phase for Amtrak is the renovation of the William H. Gray III historic station. Amtrak has contracted with the Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP) consortium to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the station improvements for the next 50 years as part of a public-private partnership (P3) agreement. Major elements of the station renovation include: modernizing and expanding station retail, consolidating station operations, upgrading The Porch landscaping and community amenities, modernizing Amtrak corporate offices, and enhancing building infrastructure to achieve and maintain a state of good repair."

Attendees are welcome to join us in person at the Center for Architecture or online.

Photo: Ben Schumin