Pennsylvania Convention Center

Chinatown & Center City East


Opened in 1993 and expanded in 2011, this massive convention center hosts a busy program of events from the mayor's masked ball and annual horticultural shows to tattoo conventions and travel shows. Enter from Market St and you'll see that it incorporates the old terminal shed of the Reading Railroad. This is the only surviving single-span arched train shed in the US and was the largest single-span structure in the world when completed in the 1890s.

The artwork Cirque, by Judy Pfaff, hangs in space beneath this impressive arch, which you can view at the top of the escalators from the street. To get an idea of what the station used to look like, check out the mural as you head down into the basement to Jefferson train station.


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