Palazzos of power : central stations of the Philadelphia Electric Company, 1900-1930 / Aaron V. Wunsch, Joseph E.B. Elliott ; foreword by David E. Nye.

Author
Wunsch, Aaron V. [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
New York : Princeton Architectural Press, [2016]
Description
157 pages : chiefly illustrations ; 29 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

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Marquand Library - Remote Storage: Marquand Use OnlyNA6589.E44 W86 2016 Browse related items Request

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    Subject(s)
    Author
    Writer of foreword
    Summary note
    ""Majestic," "endangered", and "understudied"--Terms typically applied to endangered species - apply equally, if paradoxically, to one of the greatest sources of pollution in twentieth-century America: coal-fired metropolitan power plants. Nowhere is the building type more spectacularly present or more pressingly at risk than in Philadelphia, home to the mothballed central stations of the Philadelphia Electric Company. Monuments to the city's industrial might and suburban spread, they housed rows of ponderous boilers, turbines, and switchgear, as well as elaborate coal- and ash-handling systems. But it was these machines' neoclassical enclosures that commanded public attention. Designed to convey "solidity and immensity" in an age of deep public skepticism, they now stand vacant and decaying - a "blight" in the eyes of city planners and a beacon to urban explorers. Combining scholarly research, period illustrations, and contemporary photographs, Palazzos of Power sets Philadelphia's central stations in historical context, explains the mechanisms they housed, and records their spaces and surroundings. The book will appeal to scholarly and lay audiences"-- Provided by publisher.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references.
    ISBN
    • 9781616895006 (hardcover)
    • 1616895004 (hardcover)
    LCCN
    2016009906
    OCLC
    939710317
    Statement on language in description
    Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
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