Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed farmers' market found at 12th and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 80 merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, groceries, flowers, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods. Every space in the market is rented out; three of the vendors are descendants of original market merchants. The market is open every day of the week. The Pennsylvania Dutch merchants (a small but significant minority) generally do not operate Sunday through Tuesday.
History
Origins
Open-air markets flourished in Philadelphia since its founding. Growth of the city demanded more markets, and the string of open-air markets extending from the Delaware River ran for six blocks, or one full mile, prompting the main street (then called 'High Street') to be renamed 'Market Street'. Soon after the markets reached their peak growth and capacity, open-air markets within the city became seen as dirty and unhygienic by the public. The frenzy of activity along the main street was seen as a nuisance and traffic hazard. In 1859, city officials bowed to public pressure and dismantled all of them. This prompted two indoor markets to open at 12th and Market Streets, Franklin Market and Farmers' Market. These two would be the foundation of the Reading Terminal Market.
Expansion and Growth
The Industrial Revolution brought with it the expansion of the railroad, and great palatial urban terminals sprang up in major cities. The Reading Railroad's headhouse terminal was designed by architect F. H. Kimbal of the Wilson Brothers Architecture & Engineering firm in 1891, and opened in 1893.
The rails were elevated to reach the train shed platform built over top of the new consolidated market, which opened a year earlier. The market was state of the art: a half-million cubic feet of space and 52 separate rooms, each cooled to individual temperatures: 15 - 25 degrees Fahrenheit for meat and poultry, 34 degrees Fahrenheit for fruits and vegetables. The refrigeration system used brine water and ammonia and included an array of specially designed pumps, compressors, and other equipment in its operation. Business, already good, flourished with the innovation of a free "market basket service", which allowed suburban housewives to place a grocery order and have it delivered to their nearest train station, where it would be held so that they could pick it up at their earliest convenience. Refrigerated trucks allowed the market to reach into some 60 suburban towns as well as seaside resorts along the New Jersey shore.
Decline and Rebirth
The Great Depression of the 1930s brought hardship to both the railroad and the market, but its strategic location and propserity in the past helped it remain afloat. Ten of the market's 64 merchants had been there since its founding in 1892. World War II likewise affected the market, but its merchants were able to maintain a notable variety of goods and survived even the most economically straining year of the war, 1944. A full 97 percent of its merchants remained.
The decline of the railroad institution and industry in the 1960s severely affected the market. The state-of-the-art cold storage facility was shut down and dismantled, forcing tenants to supply their own. The railroad company then filed for bankruptcy in 1971, and ceased to function as a railroad company in 1976. It did serve mainly as a real estate business, but paid little attention to the managing and promoting of the market, and pondered ways to get rid of the market so that it would be easier to sell the terminal building.
In the 1980s the Reading Company changed its attitude towards the market and began renewed efforts to revitalize it. The regional rail service, SEPTA, had stopped using the train shed after developing an underground station. Soon afterwards, the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority was initiated, and revitalization efforts, including a full restoration fo the market, were well underway. By the mid 1990s, the market was once again living up to its founders' vision; today, all of its leasable space is occupied by profitable and stable vendors.
The Market's Place in Philadelphia
Today the market serves as a popular source for singular culinary treats and unique merchandise, and is listed with such Philadelphia tourist destinations as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It is adjacent to two Marriott Hotels, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Market East regional rail station for SEPTA, and another Philadelphia landmark, The Gallery at Market East mall.
