Train Tracks

In the late nineteenth century, Philadelphia boasted three major train stations.  The Pennsylvania Convention Center is built on the site of the former Reading Railroad station, which closed in 1984.  Today, Thirtieth Street Station is the only one that remains.

The row of stately columns visible in the distance in both Thirtieth Street Station and Train Tracks (shown here) embodies the Greek architectural ideals of order and timelessness.  These eternal truths serve as a backdrop to the traffic and the maze of tracks that allude to our everyday challenges.

The pictures taken from inside the station project a different feeling.  The people in both Vertical Windows and Pillars appear tranquil, unaffected by the chaos outside.  They are becalmed by the geometric grid and anchored in place by the stability and grandeur of the monumental columns, which look as if they will endure forever.