Willow Street Steam Plant (eyesore or icon?)

Rusting away at the edge of center city is the Willow St. Steam Plant. Built at 9th & Willow St. in 1927 by Philadelphia Electric Company, it was part of Center City's elaborate steam delivery system, which still operates. With smokestacks 163 feet high, the plant burned coal brought to it via rail cars on tracks along Willow St. It's been abandoned for over 40 years.

The roots of Philadelphia's steam system dates back to 1889, when the Edison Electric Light Company of Philadelphia—which eventually became part of the Philadelphia Electric Company—began to generate and sell electricity from its central station at 908 Sansom Street. Later that year, exhaust steam from the plant's engines was used to warm nearby houses, creating an additional source of revenue. The Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) later built other steam generating plants, including the Willow Street Plant, and constructed a vast underground steam network to serve center city and west Philly. The system became the third largest district steam heating system in the US. Steam pipes in Philadelphia run under sidewalks rather than under streets, as in other places. The steam is sent under pressure at a constant temperature of about 450 degrees, all year long, which enables the pipes to last a long time.

PECO sold its steam system in 1987 for $30 million. The system has changed owners several times and is currently owned by Vicinity Energy. The system delivers steam via 33 miles of underground pipes to customers throughout Center City and West Philadelphia. Nearly 500 of the city's buildings, old and new, use the steam for heating, cooling, and hot water.

The Willow St. plant stopped operating in the 1970's and has remained vacant since. Demolition or redevelopment had been limited by the presence of asbestos and toxic chemicals. In 2016, the building was sold and is now remediated. An indoor amusement park was proposed, but the plans fell through. Permits were issued in May, 2021 for adaptive reuse of the building with 2 commercial spaces on the first floor and 69 residential units. To date, no construction has begun.

Old diagram showing buildings Before remediation

and connections of steam system