The Reading Viaduct, abandoned since the last train traveled its rails in 1984, has recently been transformed into an elevated “Rail Park,” a ribbon of green with spectacular views of the Philadelphia skyline.
As part of its first phase, CG designed a spectacular 80’ corten steel “story wall” that captures the gritty history of the Callowhill Industrial District — which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — and highlights Philadelphia’s reputation as the “Workshop of the World.” The wall is laser cut with a map of the city, company logos, buildings and advertisements of manufacturers that operated in the area in its prime.
An interpretive panel further outlines the importance of the two mighty railroads – Reading and Pennsylvania – headquartered there. Both railroads transported coal and commodities that fueled the nation’s Industrial Revolution, and both were the largest corporations in the world in their day. After developing the concepts CG did all the necessary research and copywriting to bring the wall and interpretive panels to fruition.
When complete, the park will stretch three miles across Center City Philadelphia, connecting 10 diverse neighborhoods, making it twice the width and length of New York City’s High Line.
Read the SEGD article featuring CG’s work on The Rail Park.
- Tom Crane
- Imagic Digital, Mark and Danya Henninger
- interpretive planning and design
- environmental graphics
- donor recognition
