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BROAD, GERMANTOWN, ERIE: 1880S-1930S
Between the 1880s and 1930s, Broad, Germantown, and Erie grew from a muddy, quiet intersection into the heart of a bustling urban community.
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An expanding network of public transportation, as well as the rise of the automobile, provided convenient connections to the larger city. Philadelphians heading to work at nearby industrial plants like Midvale Steel Co., speeding through the intersection on streetcars, or exiting the Broad and Erie subway station (built 1928) saw dense rows of newly developed houses and rising landmarks like the Northern Central Trust Co. (built 1922) and Beury Building (built 1926), which continue to shape the area's landscape today.
The intersection of Broad Street and Germantown Avenue. 1880.
​Photo: William A. Gee.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.


Looking south on Broad Street from Erie Avenue. 1883.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.
Houses developed by Wright & Prentzel, late 19th century.
George Washington Engelhardt, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Book of Its Bourse & Co-operating Bodies (Philadelphia: Lippincott Press, 1898-99), 196.
Accessed via Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Project, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia.


Old York Road, looking north from Erie Avenue. 10/16/1912.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.
Looking south on Broad Street from Erie Avenue. 1/4/1916.
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Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.


Looking northwest from Germantown Avenue and Erie Avenue. 1/13/1919.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.
Northern Central Trust Co., 3650-54 North Broad Street. 12/9/1924.
Photo: Thum.
Built in 1922, this building originally housed a variety of shops and apartments. It was later the home of the Colonnade Ballroom, Casa D'Amour,
and Arcade Ballroom.
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Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.


The Great Northern Theatre, 3636-52 Germantown Avenue. 3/25/1925.
Photo: Haag.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.
North Broad Street and Erie Avenue. 5/18/1933. ​
Free Library of Philadelphia Print and Picture Collection.
