Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company
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Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company is a historic former
coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...
, located on the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
in
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, Delaware County, southeastern
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.HAER: Chester Station Report
. accessed 12.28.2014
Built by the
Philadelphia Electric Company Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, it is currently owned by the PECO Energy Company of the
Exelon Corporation Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the largest ...
. The complex has been converted into an office building.


Architecture

The original section of the Station building was built in 1916, and consists of the Boiler House with attached Coal Towers and Turbine Hall, and the Switch House. The complex was designed by architect John T. Windrim and engineer William C.L. Eglin, and featured then recent advances in generating technology and industrial construction. The principal facades were designed in the
Beaux-Arts style Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporat ...
. The Turbine Hall Annex addition was built in 1939-1942. Also located on the property is the two-story, red brick Machine Shop building. It was also built by the Philadelphia Electric Company. ''Note:'' This includes


History

The complex was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2007. The Chester Waterside Station was documented by the federal HAER−Historic American Engineering Record, with extensive exterior and interior photography by renowned architectural photographer
Jack Boucher Jack E. Boucher (September 4, 1931 – September 2, 2012) was an American photographer for the National Park Service for more than 40 years beginning in 1958. He served as the Chief Photographer for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS ...
in 1997 and 1998; architectural drawings; and a detailed descriptive report of the facility design and history, and its contemporary industrial history contexts. In 2016, the machine shop was converted into a 16,500 square foot indoor training facility and offices for the
Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
club.


See also

* HAER−Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania *
List of power stations in Pennsylvania In 2019, Pennsylvania had a total summer capacity of 47,812 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 228,995 GWh. The corresponding electrical energy generation mix was 42.9% natural gas, 36.3% nuclear, 16.5% coal, 1 ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, Pennsylvania __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Count ...
* Power plants in Pennsylvania


References


External links

* {{Clear Coal-fired power stations in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Chester, Pennsylvania Delaware River Exelon Energy infrastructure completed in 1916 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in Philadelphia Beaux-Arts architecture in Pennsylvania Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania