Suburban Station Building
Why it's listed
Opened on September 28, 1930, the Suburban Station Building rises 21 stories above the eastern end of the Pennsylvania Railroad line in central Philadelphia, built over the large underground Penn Center Station. The Chicago firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed it in the Art Deco style, with polished black granite entrance portals, bronze doors, stylized wheat-sheaf bands above the entrances, and a battlemented castle-like roofline at the 21st floor. Its lobby retains chandeliers, lamps, signage and elevator doors from the original scheme. The building was built for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and was intended to draw attention to the station below and to the importance of rail travel. It is regarded as an unusually intact example of the style in a city where Art Deco was applied far less often than in New York.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is the city's premier example of Art Deco architecture and an unusually intact example of the style. It is also presented as a symbol of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's position in local and national rail transportation, and as an innovative combination of office space with direct commuter station access.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85001962, listed September 5, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1617 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | September 5, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85001962 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (architect); Joseph Stewart & Co. (builder) |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 39.95216, -75.17429 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85001962.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1531481
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.