The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s

Philadelphia Pier 122 & Pier 124

speaker

Gregory Vlassopoulos, Jr.

On February 5th we heard Jim Rubillo speak about Philadelphia’s Hog Island Shipyard. In March we will hear another program related to South Philadelphia: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the PRR’s Philadelphia Piers 122 & 124. In this visual presentation, Gregory Vlassopoulos will explore the PRR’s transloading facilities in South Philadelphia’s Greenwich Yards, specifically, ore handling facilities at Pier 122 and coal export operations at Pier 124. The future state of these former PRR piers will be discussed, as will be Greenwich Yards overall- from birth to death to rebirth. It should be noted that much of Broad Street Station and the Chinese Wall, when demolished about 1953, wound up under Piers 122 and 124.

Gregory Vlassopoulos, Jr. is a technology solutions executive working with Office Depot to support clients in the Greater Philadelphia region. He is a member of multiple railroad historical organizations and has an affinity for the monumental part railroads played in building America from the industrial revolution to the present. His focus of research is from 1900 to 1962, climaxing with the end of the steam locomotive era. Gregory has a special allegiance to railroads of Greater Philadelphia, as well as the Baldwin Locomotive Works, where his immigrant grandfather worked as a gantry crane operator. He resides in South Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Time:  5:30 Refreshments

   6:15 Program

Cost: $10 per person if preregistered       $15 if not reserved in advance

Place: Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive

           You can park in the Circle, closer to the FWWIC

Registration: E-mail names and phone numbers of members and guests to reesepdavis@gmail.com or phone Reese at 610-692-4456

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This link will take you to some photographs and a bit of background on the piers. The site is the work of photographer Michael Froio.  Below is a bit more about his site. I hope you will explore more of it in leisure with pleasure.

http://michaelfroio.com/blog/2010/07/02/pier-122-and-124-lost-facilities-of-the-pennsylvania-railroad

“Through exploring both building and place within the American landscape, Michael’s work reveals an era where industry, wealth, and power impacted the land. His work examines the remarkable architecture and engineering projects for the benefit of the public as well as the remains of a post-industrialized nation in the back lots, wooded areas and small towns throughout the Northeast region. Represented here are three major projects: The Watershed Series is some of the earliest works, exploring the impact of man on the diverse landscape of the Delaware River Watershed. The Relic series highlights prominent historic buildings in the Philadelphia region that served the public for many years and have either been lost, restored or repurposed. Finally, the ongoing project From the Mainline examines the former Pennsylvania Railroad, once the largest railroad in the world. Highlighting its massive infrastructure and groundbreaking engineering accomplishments the project also considers the historic landscape it travels.”