Inside Fishtown’s Abandoned Power Plant
(Yes, that’s fog coming into the top of the building. It was a beautiful, incredibly foggy day.)
There’s probably not much more I can say about this building that hasn’t already been said. In fact, not that much has changed since Noah Levey explored the building back in 2013. Well, except for the fact that there’s much more graffiti, naturally!
I can’t help thinking what an incredible museum space this building would make. And it seems I’m not the only Philadelphian with this idea. In an article posted last fall announcing that the plant’s owner, Exelon Corp., was putting it up for sale, Inga Saffron noted that “London’s Tate Modern was carved out of the Bankside Power Station on the Thames.” Adding, “Its soaring turbine hall has proved perfect for large-scale and interactive art displays. That’s the kind of art venue Philadelphia now lacks.”
Whatever happens to the building, I do have two hopes: 1) That it isn’t torn down. As I hope you can see in these photos, the building is an absolute treasure to the City of Philadelphia. 2) And to that point, I hope it can become a public space of some sort (not condos), so that every Philadelphian can enjoy it.
MORE photos below!
Trackbacks
- Lunchtime Quick Hits
- More Photos of Fishtown’s Abandoned Power Plant, from @Tommybaboon and @SteveStabler | Streets Dept
- Eraserhood’s Goldtex Building Pays Homage to Its Abandoned/Graffitied Past, Supports Artists in the Process | Streets Dept
- Inside Bok: Way More Than A Roof with A View | Streets Dept
- The Year in Photos: Streets Dept’s Top 13 Posts of 2015 | Streets Dept
- The View from the Roof of 448 North 10th Street | Streets Dept
Streets Dept 
Not to mention that a condo conversion might mean carving up that grand turbine hall! I’m optimistic about it getting some kind of reuse. Not because Philly is good at that kind of thing but because it would cost so much to demolish all that reinforced concrete.
this place make a perfect horror film set
like a big butcher guy with a cleaver
It would be the go to large installation museum on the east coast.
So what’s it like to get into this place? I definitely want to check it out.
Museo Centrale Montemartini in Rome is another re-purposed power plant where the centuries old statues stand out against the old machinery